A Most Wanted Governess
by tirzasnape
Summary: 1st HGSS. WIKTT Governess challenge. Hermione runs away from the world to combine her love of learning & children into a governess job. What will she do when a man from her past visits & makes her question everything she believes? Rating is M to be safe
1. Prologue

Title: A Most Wanted Governess

Warnings: None so far. Will post warnings in future chapters if the need arises. Possible future swearing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter. I only own the people and places not already created by JK Rowling. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling; I just play in her back yard because it's cool there.

A/N: This is a response to the WIKTT challenge _The Governess _posted by love23rules. This is my first Snape/Hermione story, so be kind to me please! Email comments etc to tirzasnaperocks at yahoo dot com.

Prologue 

There were many in the wizarding world that considered the job of governess to be inferior, particularly for a very bright witch. There were greater, grander things for her intelligence to be applied to. The world had been laid at Hermione Jane Granger's feet.

Only Hermione Jane Granger didn't want it. Hogwarts had come and gone; she had graduated top of her year. A year at University and Hermione left with the highest honors that had been handed out in a century. She had been the first student ever to receive all academic awards from the University.

Hogwarts wanted her to teach. The University wanted her to teach. The ministry offered her any position her heart could desire; from auror to funded potion research. Even St. Mungos wanted her, assuring her that helping others would be the best use of her talents.

Hermione had succeeded in her education far better then she had ever imagined she would. She had planned, back in her seventh year at Hogwarts, to become an auror. That was then, back before the war that had erupted at the end of that year.

The war ended nearly a two years later, with so many dead or injured on both sides. Everyone was left with a scar, emotional or physical, from the seemingly endless fighting. Hermione was not immune.

Hermione Jane Granger had lost the love of her life. Her fiancée of just five months was murdered in front of her eyes. One could not die while the other lived, was the prophecy fulfilled. Harry Potter won the war against Lord Voldemort but lost his life at the same time.

Once the wizarding world had collected itself and began to rebuild Hermione had gone off to University. Now she was graduated and alone. The world she loved had stolen the one who had captured her heart.

All Hermione wanted was to be alone. She hated the Weasleys fussing over her, Ron trying to keep her spirits up and become what Harry had been to her. Only he couldn't be.

So Hermione had combined two of the three loves of her life into the perfect job: teaching and children. Hermione Jane Granger became a governess.


	2. Chapter 1

Aralyn Laurent was quite surprised the day that Hermione Granger appeared at her home for an interview. Oh yes, she knew exactly who the young woman was. Hermione had been profiled several times in the Daily Prophet and other wizarding magazines since the start of the war; the last had been just after Harry Potter's funeral.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I saw your ad for a governess in the Daily Prophet, and would like to apply."

There had been no doubt that Hermione was perfectly qualified. The question Aralyn kept coming back to in her mind was why.

"Mrs. Laurent, there are many reasons why I would prefer this job to any other available." Hermione had patiently answered the question when Aralyn finally asked it aloud.

"It is important for me to have a purpose, an importance. To be needed as well. I really love children and all children are the future of our world. They need to be loved, cared for and educated so that they can keep our world from collapsing after we are old and useless. I have gone as far in learning as is possible, and I would like to have the chance to share what I know and inspire your daughters to want to learn as much as they can."

Aralyn was impressed with Hermione's answer. She herself had lost her husband six months ago from injuries he received during the war and was now left with three daughters and was also six months pregnant with a fourth child.

"You are more then qualified Miss Granger, and I do believe you would fit in well with us four."

Room and board was provided at the Laurent manor, and wage was negotiated between the women before they shook hands.

As Aralyn discovered, as time passed, was that Hermione was a perfect fit in her household. Not only did her daughters adore her and enjoy being with her, but also Hermione was more then willing to help anywhere in the house that Aralyn might need help. The two became fast friends and spent many nights taking comfort from each other's company, both knowing the grief and pain that came with loss.

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Maisie, Lynessa and Hailey Laurent were the most delightful girls Hermione had ever known. Maisie was a lot like her: quiet, serious and a quick learner. She was the oldest of the girls at seven. Lynessa was a year younger, the more mischievous of the girls. She too was a fast learner, but preferred to play more then learn but Hermione quickly discovered ways to keep Lynessa interested and happy in learning, with only a few tantrums along the way.

Hailey Laurent was Hermione's biggest fan. She was only four and still a bit confused about why her father wasn't coming back. None of the girls understood it completely, but Hailey was the more confused.

With a smile, a giggle, and a hug she brightened everyone's day. She was the typical younger sister and followed her older sisters around like a shadow but they mostly didn't seem to mind.

It hadn't always been so easy with Hailey, particularly when Hermione had first started. The small girl with beautiful hazel eyes was an expert tantrum thrower and was particularly upset when her sisters were going to go to a special room to study and she was not invited to join!

_flashback_

"_NO NO NO I GO TOO!" Hailey screamed at the top of her lungs. "I WANNA LEARN TOO!" Tears streamed down her face as she flailed her arms around and stomped her small feet._

_Hermione Granger watched the tiny child for a moment, before walking over to her and kneeling in front of her. "Hailey, we aren't going to play without you, I promise. When it's time to play, we'll come find you. Why don't you go see if your mama needs your help?"_

"_I WANNA STAY!"_

_An idea struck Hermione as the tantrum continued. Why not include her, even if she wasn't really learning just yet?_

"_If I let you stay, will you learn letters and numbers and let your sisters do their studies too?"_

_Hailey's eyes grew wide, her tears stopping instantly. "Yes, I wanna do them. Wanna stay please."_

While Lynessa and Maisie worked on spelling, mathematics, history and reading, Hailey too had her own special assignments. She began to learn how to copy her alphabet onto parchment, with spill and stain proof ink of course, and each week drew a series of pictures and made a 'presentation' of the story of each drawing to Hermione on Fridays.

Days were generally peaceful, busy, and happy. Hermione found it hard to be upset or depressed with Hailey smiling at her, Lynessa begging to learn how to read her favorite fairy tale, and Maisie scoring near or precisely perfect on every assignment.

Both Aralyn and Hermione couldn't be more pleased with the routine that they had all settled into.

Nights were entirely different. After helping Aralyn put the girls to bed, kissing and hugging them each good night and reading various stories, and of course not forgetting to say good night to the appropriate stuffed animals and dolls, Hermione was mostly on her own.

Sometimes she and Aralyn would have tea in the living room and talk about their past. Aralyn was curious about University and the muggle world, while Hermione asked questions about the deceased Mr. Laurent and about the coming baby.

Every so often, one of them would be sobbing, their façade of bravery and calm falling around their feet. The other would bring tea and tissues and listen. Hermione began to rely heavily on the Laurent's and the peace that her knew life brought her.

There was no peace however from her dreams. Hermione, due to shock, had "temporarily misplaced" some the memories of the night of Harry's death and the days that followed until the day of the funeral. Poppy at Hogwarts, as well as a mediwitch at St. Mungos, had told her that as time passed she would regain the memories. Poppy had warned her that the memories would likely begin showing themselves in very realistic dreams like pieces of a puzzle that would finally fit together and tell the story of those lost days.

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Hermione's dream was always the same; every night it woke her and left her gasping and fighting tears. It was fragmented, but it felt so real. _Was it one of those memories? _She always thought.

"_Harry!" She screamed. Hermione could feel blood dripping down her face and the back of her neck. Her head was pounding and every breath she took hurt. She watched them fall; Harry and Voldemort. She couldn't get to Harry fast enough._

"_No, no please!" When Hermione finally reached his side, Harry was dead. "NO!" She refused to believe it, beginning to sob hysterically, clutching his lifeless body to her chest. "Harry, wake up, please…"_

_As the pain in her body grew more intense, her breathing became erratic and labored. Suddenly, Hermione felt arms circling her upper body._

"_Miss Granger," a familiar voice talked softly into her ear. "You have to let go now. Potter is gone. You are injured."_

"_No! I won't leave him! He'll be fine, I know he will!"_

_The strong arms shook her shoulders just a bit. "Miss Granger, he will not." The tone was still soft, though more firm this time. _

_As she was picked up, Hermione cried out in pain and was surrounded by blackness as she passed out in the man's arms._

At that part of the dream, after the familiar voice spoke to her, she couldn't remember what happened next. Only that she felt like she was being carried in very strong, safe arms and cared for by whomever had held her.

Who was the voice? Who did it belong to? Why couldn't she seem to remember anything? Did Hermione Granger really want to remember?

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"Hermy Hermy Hermy!" Hailey called excitedly, diving onto the end of Hermione's bed one morning.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "What Hailey?" she asked, pulling the little girl into her arms.

"Mummy said uncle is coming. He real smart, you'll like him. He coming tonight! Is that soon?"

"Yes, sweeting, I know he is coming. He will come before we eat our supper. I know that is a long time for you to wait," she teased.

Hailey sighed dramatically. "That's forever long!"

The governess tickled Hailey's tummy. "Is your mother awake, Miss Early Bird?" Hermione of course had known that Mrs. Laurent's brother would be coming to stay for the last month of her pregnancy. Aralyn was nervous to have her child alone and was missing her husband especially much right now. Everyone, in fact, was relieved he would be coming.

"Yesh, because her tummy is real fat and she can't sleep too good," Hailey said. "Can we make breakfast? Please?"

Hermione nodded, grinning. "Go tell your mum we'll make breakfast while I get dressed and then you can be my special helper."

"Okay!" Hailey threw her arms around Hermione's neck and gave her a big wet kiss on the cheek. "Love you Hermy!"

Hermione's heart soared each time she heard that from any of the girls, but especially Hailey. It only soared for a moment; however, as she realized that there would be no little girl for her. No sons either. She'd always be Hermy, and not 'Mummy'.

With a sigh, Hermione dressed in a pair of capri's and a sweater and went off to wake up Lynessa and Maisie.

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With careful time and deliberation, Severus Snape packed a month's worth of clothing, books he might wish to read, and other such things to occupy his time. He would be disapperating to his sister's home the next day, to stay for a month.

His half-sister, they shared the same father, Aralyn was about to give birth to her fourth child. Having always had a rather soft spot in his heart, yes he Severus Snape did indeed have a heart, for her it only seemed right for him to be with her. Giving birth was hard enough, let alone without the child's father and still grieving for him.

Though the age difference between himself and Aralyn was a decade, Severus still had always taken interest in her activities and in her. She had carried her mother's name, and was raised by her mother. Severus' father hadn't wanted anything to do with a female child, particularly one born of an affair with a witch who didn't have the sense to use contraceptive potions!

Sadly it had been quite a while since he had seen Aralyn, Adam Laurent, and their family. The youngest child had only been about a year old at that time and Severus had been invited to share Christmas with them. He had accepted, and found that while he did indeed detest most children, particularly the idiotic ones, he hadn't minded his sister's daughters.

Each stay with Aralyn was an adventure, and this one would be the longest and hardest of all. Aralyn was not due for another month, and he might be needed for a little while after the birth and would of course stay. Aralyn had mentioned a nanny or governess, some woman who answered an ad from the Daily Prophet.

He highly doubted the abilities of a governess but they were not his children so he said nothing. Hopefully the woman would not be a mindless idiot and would at least be able to carry on some semblance of interesting conversation. He didn't hold out much hope for that though.

Severus Snape was in for a surprise…

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_A hand lifted her head, tilting her chin up. A warm liquid slid down her throat. She cried out at the movement, even as she was laid back down. "That will help with your pain, Miss Granger. Unfortunately I am not a mediwitch or mediwizard." A blanket was tucked securely around her, she could feel it. It was soft, warm, knotted like a quilt would be…_

"Hermione, are you alright?" Aralyn asked at breakfast.

"Hmm? Oh yes, just fine. Thinking," Hermione answered quickly. She didn't mention to her employer that the night before she had had more to her dream then normal. In fact, she didn't often tell Aralyn what she dreamed; only when she was pressed did Hermione share any of it.

Again, the voice had sounded familiar; Hermione knew she should know it.

Hermione didn't realize that later that very day, the owner of the voice that haunted her dreams would be revealed before her very eyes…

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TBC

A/N: This is Non-HBP compliant. I still believe that the "Half-Blood Prince" is somehow innocent. There's always hope. Either that or I am just that desperate LOL. Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the first chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

Hailey Laurent bounced up and down on the couch in the living room of her home. When she bounced, she was able to look out the window and see if her uncle was coming yet!

Lynessa frowned as she looked up from a book of simple puzzles and coloring pages. "What are you doin?"

"Waiting!" Hailey continued to bounce.

"Waiting?"

Hailey nodded, her blonde pigtails bobbing up and down as she bounced. "For uncle! Maybe we get presents! I like them."

Lynessa giggled and dove onto the couch. "I wanna jump too, come one!" She took Hailey's hand and they began to bounce together. At least until they were grabbed from behind!

"Heeeeeeey!" they cried out.

"Hey girls, your mother doesn't like you jumping on the couches," Hermione said firmly as she lifted both girls from the couch.

"But we're waiting for uncle to come," Lynessa told her.

"I know. Let's go wait outside though, instead of ruining the couch, alright? Go find your shoes." Hermione set both girls down, kissing their foreheads before gently directing them towards their shoes.

Just as she did so, the doorbell rang. "UNCLE!"

"Hermione, would you mind getting the door please?" Aralyn called. "My ankles are quite swollen."

"Of course not. You just rest." The young governess smiled and followed the Laurent girls towards the door.

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As Severus Snape disapparated into the front yard of his sister's home, he noticed two small smiling girls going up and down at the window. Shaking his head as they disappeared from view, he walked up the path to the door.

He rang the bell and a mere moment later, had tiny human being attached to his legs. "UNCLE UNCLE!" they screeched.

Looking down at them, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you children, or monkeys?" Severus' voice was his usual monotone, but his eyes sparkled.

Two blonde heads shook 'no' in answer to his question.

"Yes!" One brown haired girl announced.

All three girls laughed as Severus raised his eyebrow again. "So you are a monkey, Miss Maisie?"

Maisie nodded once more. "Yep. I'm a monkey."

Chuckling very quietly, Severus shook his head. "Well, if you are a monkey, then I'll show you what _I _do with monkeys." Reaching down, he lifted Maisie up and tucked her under his arm. "Back to the zoo with you!"

Hailey and Lynessa giggled as Severus carried his eldest niece inside the house under his arm. "May's a monkey," Hailey announced happily.

"Girls!" A woman's firm voice was heard coming from around the corner. "You know better then to open the door without your mother or I with you…"

Kissing Maisie's forehead and setting her down on the floor, Severus looked up as the owner of the voice walked into the room.

"Professor Snape!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? I was invited Miss Granger…"

"Miss Granger…" The words echoed in Hermione's head, jarring her. 

Before Snape could even finish his sentence and inquire as to Hermione's presence, his ex-student began falling towards the floor.

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"I see you're as popular as ever with the ladies Severus," Aralyn teased.

Severus rolled his eyes and carried Hermione Granger to a stuffed chair near Aralyn. "Sit," he ordered his sister. "You don't need to get up. Miss Granger nearly fell into the floor when I arrived, I have no idea why."

Setting Hermione in the chair, Severus turned to his sister and kissed her forehead. "How are you Ara? And the new baby?" He gently laid a hand on her stomach, and gave a small smile as he felt the baby kick.

"I feel like a beached whale, thank you Sev. You said Hermione passed out?"

Severus nodded and knelt down by Aralyn's chair. "She did. I take it she is your governess?"

"What's wrong with Hermy?" A small hand tugged on Severus' robe, causing him to turn and look into bright blue eyes.

"I'm not sure, but I know she will recover sufficiently. You are Hailey, are you not?"

An enthusiastic flipping of pigtails as she nodded was his answer. "Do you remember me?"

Hailey's face crinkled in thought for a moment. "Nope. But Nessa says you bring presents. Can I have presents?"

Severus looked at her closely, leaning in beside her ear and whispered. "Yes, I brought presents. My favorite girls deserve presents."

"I'm a fav-wit?" She stumbled over the word, looking quite awed.

"Yes. Your mother, you and your sisters are my favorite girls. Go get your sisters and then I'll find your presents, alright?"

"NESSA! MAY! PRESENT TIME!" Hailey flew from the room, shouting as she went.

"Hmm, reminds me of a little girl I used to know," Severus commented. He reached inside his robes and pulled out several tiny box-shaped objects and set them on the floor. Taking out a potion vial, he dripped the potion onto the boxes, and his luggage returned to its original size.

"I'm really glad you came," Aralyn said softly, her vision blurred by tears that threatened to fall.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else Ara," Severus assured her. "Now, do you need anything before your monkey-children return?"

------------------------------

Hermione awoke to the sounds of giggles, Aralyn's soft melody-like voice, and a deep voice as well. She moaned softly to herself, and the noises abruptly stopped.

"I see you've returned to the world of consciousness," Snape said, arching an eyebrow.

Aralyn patted Hermione's hand. "Are you feeling well?"

Hermione didn't answer; instead she looked very closely at Severus Snape as her mind replayed the two simple words he had spoken just before she passed out.

"Miss Granger!" Severus finally bellowed. "Are you deaf girl?"

Hailey tugged on his robe sleeve, frowning. "Don't yell at my Hermy," she ordered, hands on her little hips. "She have lots and lots bad dreams, be nice Uncle!"

The governess turned to look at Hailey in shock. She hadn't realized anyone knew of her nightmares, other then the few times she had spoken to Aralyn about them. Hailey may have heard her crying sometimes at night, and Hermione felt badly that the sunny little girl might have heard her distress.

"Really now?" Severus sounded intrigued almost. "What are your dreams of, Miss Granger?"

Hermione felt her knees tremble as he spoke. What the hell was wrong with her? What was going on? Standing up and looking Snape square in the face, she spoke. "In case you hadn't noticed, Professor, I'm an adult now and no longer a student in your classroom. I don't wish to discuss my nightmares at this time or any other, ever. Do not ever ask me of them again."

Silence filled the room for several seconds before Lynessa squeaked in laughter. "Uncle's gonna get a time out," she said, poking Maisie in the side.

"If it's alright Aralyn, I think I'd like to rest for a bit in my room."

Aralyn nodded. "Of course, just be sure and feel better, alright? Severus can help me with the girls."

Giving her a small smile, Hermione nodded and left the room rather quickly. She went upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door firmly. Leaning against it, she took several deep breaths, mentally calming herself down. Snape just couldn't be the man in her dreams. He couldn't be!

She remembered a soft, deep, soothing voice. She remembered gentle hands, warm quilts, and strong arms. Most of all she remembered caring; the man in her dream was caring, gentle and kind. When had Severus Snape been those things in his entire life!

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"Sev, you can't be serious," Aralyn whispered as the girls played across the room.

"I am. I was there Ara; you knew that from the reports in the Daily Prophet. I saw it happen, I was involved in it all, I saw her involvement in it all. She was injured, quite badly. Gashes and cuts, deep bruises, nearly every one of her ribs was broken. She was lucky a lung wasn't punctured."

Severus' face was dark, but his eyes were full of sad remembrance. "There were so many. So many cursed, and injured. Broken, bloody. It was like any death eater raid I had ever been in, magnified by ten million. So many bodies. I saw her there, Ara. She just wouldn't let go of him, and he was gone."

Aralyn nodded, her heart aching for Hermione, as well as for her brother who had to see such horrific things so many times in his life.

"I have always enjoyed her intelligence and wit, not that I would have ever mentioned it when she was a student of course. When I saw her, I… I can't explain it Aralyn but it was like a strange hero complex of some sort. I had to get to her, to help her, to take care of her.

She was at my home for a week before a mediwitch could come heal her. That's how terrible the devastation was. I kept her comfortable with potions, and cared for her. The nights I slept in a chair beside her bed, she looked so haggard. When she was lucid, which was only a handful of times, all she did was cry. I don't think she realized it was I that was caring for her, because she would reach out for me. Even when she was sleeping, her hand would grab at mine."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying Severus?" Aralyn reached over and squeezed her brother's hand.

Snape's dark head nodded. "Yes. When I held her as she cried, when I held her hand, watched her sleep and breathe… I don't know how it happened but by the time Potter's funeral came about and she was healed and I took her to the funeral and delivered her to Molly Weasley, I knew it then."

"Knew what?" His sister probed, still stunned to hear such things from him. True, he had always been affectionate with her, but never with anyone else. Severus was such a private person.

Snape grumbled a bit under his breath. "You know what I am saying. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my years holding that woman in my arms and drying her tears!"

Aralyn's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh Severus, you poor love-sick thing!" She hugged her brother tightly, making up her mind that she would have to be sure and play the matchmaker.

"No ideas," he growled playfully. "I know what you are thinking and I forbid it Aralyn."

"She deserves to know the man who haunts her dreams is you, at the very least. She has nightmares and strange dreams; look how she reacted to your voice today when you arrived!"

"Hmm, we'll see. I do not wish Miss Granger to feel she owes me a debt of gratitude, nor do I wish her to give me attention due to pity. I mean it Aralyn. Do not meddle. Whatever happens happens, I am here for you and your unborn child and your daughters," Severus reminded her.

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Hermione emerged just before supper and headed straight for the kitchen. Maisie followed her, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Hermione? Can I help?"

"Of course honey," Hermione smiled and patted her shoulder. "I would love it if you set the table for me."

"You have to tell me something first."

"Oh?" She knelt down to Maisie's height. "What can I tell you?"

"Are you okay? I was scared when you got sick when Uncle came. Are you going to die?" Maisie whispered.

Hermione pulled the little girl close, rocking her slightly in her arms. "Of course not." She kissed Maisie's forehead, pushing her dark hair from her face. "I'm not going to die, I was just scared for a moment. Everyone gets scared sometimes."

Nodding, Maisie hugged Hermione very tightly. "I'd be real sad if you died. I want you to stay forever, we like you lots. Maybe you could marry Uncle Severus and then you could be my Auntie!"

Her face suddenly flamed red hot and Hermione had no idea why. "Hmm, we'll see sweetums. Right now, you set the table while I get supper going."

Why did she suddenly have butterflies in her stomach? Why was she blushing? Why _had _she passed out? Good heavens, what in the world was going on?

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Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I'm really having a lot of fun with this story and I am glad that others are enjoying it too! More coming as quickly as possible blame college for delays!


	4. Chapter 3

If Hermione was quieter then usual at supper, it went completely unnoticed by her three charges and their uncle. Aralyn could sense that her governess was tense, and tried to keep the conversation going at a good pace to keep attention off of Hermione.

"Miss Granger?" Severus Snape arched an eyebrow and looked down the table at Hermione.

She jerked slightly, forcing herself out of her reverie. "Yes Professor?" She inwardly groaned when her voice came out rather squeaky and girlish.

Lynessa giggled. "Hermy, you talked funny."

"That's rude Nessa," Aralyn scolded.

Hermione happily took the moment to clear her throat and try to look at Snape in an authoritative manner. She was hardly successful; after all he had had more experience at authority and intimidation then she did.

"I was interested to hear how you are liking your position," Snape responded. "And you may address me as Severus, since I am no longer your professor."

She blushed and nodded. Why hadn't she thought of that? She was an adult now, not a student! "Then you must call me by my name also," she responded rather quickly. "And I am very much enjoying being here. I had no idea Aralyn was your sister…"

As her voice trailed off, Severus narrowed his eyes. "Would that have made a difference Miss Granger?" His tone was rather steely for Hermione's liking.

"Of course not… S-Severus," she stumbled over his name, as though it were some forbidden word, never to be spoken. "It would not have made any difference whatsoever. I was merely commenting that I did not realize you had a family."

Hermione smiled and reached over to scoot Hailey's glass away from the edge of the table. "And such a lovely family at that."

Hailey giggled at Hermione. "She reads good stories and teached me letters!"

A slow, soft smile spread over Severus' face. "Is that so?"

Hailey nodded happily. "Yep! I'm real real smart!"

Hermione stared, transfixed, at Severus. He was smiling! She couldn't ever remember seeing him smile! In fact, she had often wondered if Severus Snape was even capable of smiling.

"Is there a problem? Have I spilt something?"

His voice jarred her away from her musings, once again. "Um, no. Not at all."

Severus smirked. "Caught off guard, Miss Granger?"

"I was just surprised at what a nice smile you have; I've never seen it before." The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She hadn't wanted to say that out loud! Damn it!

Snape smiled again, to himself, as he watched Hermione's face gather color. She was very pretty when she blushed, and her embarrassment was… endearing.

Hermione had never been so happy for a meal to end, as she was when this one did. "I'll take care of the dishes!" Before anyone could dissuade her, she had whisked into the kitchen, the dirty dishes floating behind her.

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"I'm going to make sure the girls are getting ready for bed," Hermione told Aralyn later that evening. "And read them my story and give my kisses before mama comes to tuck them in."

A routine had gone into place where each night bedtime started a little early so that each girl could get a story and a goodnight kiss from Hermione, as well as a story and being tucked in by their mother. This ended up being Hermione's favorite time of the day, when she could have special time with each of the girls. It always warmed her heart when she received hugs and kisses from them all.

"That sounds good. I wonder where Sev got off to? He said he was going to rest a bit, but he's been gone a while. Perhaps he got reading or something," Aralyn speculated.

"Do you need anything before I head upstairs?"

Aralyn shook her head. "I'm fine. I'll be up to read to Hailey in the usual half hour."

"Alright." Hermione smiled and headed upstairs to Hailey's bedroom. The door was open slightly and she heard talking inside; two voices.

Stopping just outside the door, she listened closely.

"And then, the prince carried her off to his white horse and Snow White kissed the dwarves goodbye and rode off to live happily ever after with her prince…"

Hermione could barely hold in her laughter at hearing Professor Snape's voice reading a fairytale! She moved to stand just in the doorway to wait for them to finish.

"That's a nice story. I like it lots," Hailey smiled. She reached up and patted Severus' cheek with a small, soft hand.

Severus smiled at her, a wonderful, uninhibited, loving smile. The sight of it touched Hermione, making her feel warm inside. She liked the feeling, though she was unsure of why she felt it.

"You do know that very rarely do people live happily ever after, correct?"

Hailey frowned. "Everybody live happily ever after, that's the rules silly!"

"Hmm…" Snape responded and began to tickle her gently.

"Nooooooo!" Hailey giggled and squirmed, clearly delighted at the tickles.

Severus continued to tickle her for a moment, and then had the strange feeling that he was being observed. He looked up and saw Hermione standing in the doorway. He felt heat rise on his neck and face at being caught in such a silly circumstance as this. The sweet, soft look on Hermione's face, almost like a glow, made him catch his breath at how beautiful she was.

Hermione coughed softly. "Wrangling stories from your uncle, little love?"

Hailey nodded happily. "He reads real good like you Hermy!" She slid from Severus' lap and ran over to Hermione, throwing herself around Hermione's legs.

As Hermione laughed and picked up Hailey, kissing her forehead and holding her close, Severus was struck by how natural they seemed together. How natural Hermione was at the role of motherhood, and how lovely she looked in that role.

"You'll make a very natural mother someday," he said softly. When her eyes widened with surprise, but then filled with sadness, he wanted to kick himself. Not only was such a comment extremely forward, but also for someone who had planned a life with another and had that other ripped away, it was a careless thing to say.

"I…er…thank you, Professor… I mean Severus." Hermione hated how her voice wavered, but she couldn't help it.

"It's time for me to tell Hailey a story and then for her mother to tuck her in. Say goodnight to your uncle." She set Hailey down and turned away from them both as the little girl ran to Snape, pretending to fuss with the bed covers.

It hurt to think of the motherhood that died with Harry. It filled her with longing, and with a strange glow to watch Severus with Hailey in the past few moments. Longing she shouldn't have. It wasn't right. It was a betrayal to Harry and the love they had shared; the plans they had made.

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"I'm truly no good at this… love… thing."

Aralyn laughed softly. Not only was it strange for Severus to be at a loss of the most elegant and large words available, but he had only been there half a day!

"I am sure Hermione knew you didn't mean to upset her," Aralyn reasoned once she stopped laughing. "You've only been here, what, six hours?"

"Still, it was completely thoughtless. I should never have said that." Snape paced back and forth around his sister's bedroom.

"Oh calm down! Give yourself a chance Sev. It hasn't been that long for her, she may not be ready yet. She is sensitive and reserved now, but that doesn't mean that she wouldn't respond differently to you later."

Sighing, he shook his head. "That's beside the point. I brought up something that caused her pain, whether accidentally or purposely is irrelevant. And I feel badly that I caused her pain…"

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_Hermione cried out in pain. Her eyes shot open as she felt someone's hand gently rubbing her face. _

"_Shh, the potion will start working soon Miss Granger."_

_She started to cry, reaching out her hand; a warm, gentle hand took hers and she squeezed it._

"_I'm right here," the voice assured her. "I won't go anywhere."_

_Hermione looked up, trying to see the face of her caretaker. She saw dark hair, rather long dark hair…_

Gasping, Hermione sat up in bed, her body shaking. When would these dreams leave her alone? When would she see the face that matched the voice that she had been hearing in her dreams? Would her life ever be normal again?

Feeling desperate for answers, as well as undisturbed sleep, Hermione began to cry softly. Turning over in her bed, she pressed her face to the pillow and cried herself to sleep.

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Little did Hermione know that the man in her dreams was plagued with dreams of his own…

_Severus sat in a comfortable armchair near a large canopy bed. He hated this room; or rather, he hated the memories. This had been his mother's room, warm and sunny. Looking over at his patient in the bed, he was surprised to find himself thinking she fit so well in this room._

_Snape looked at Hermione Granger, tucked into the bed, her face flushed as she fought against her fever and injuries. He wished a mediwitch would come faster; though he knew what he was doing with the potions, obviously, he was worried for her._

_He was also becoming attached. Leaning closer to the bed, he could see tears on her beautiful face. Severus reached out to gently wipe them away, and then caressed her face very softly…_

Snape opened his eyes, groaning. Why did he have to remember that? He hadn't had these dreams since just after Hermione went to stay with the Weasleys. And when had she become Hermione in his private thoughts?

Shaking his head, Severus sighed deeply. What mess had he gotten himself into? Wasn't he too old for this?

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Hermione rose early the next morning, too restless to sleep. No one else in the house was awake yet and she was glad for that.

Quietly she made her way downstairs and started some coffee for herself.

"Miss Granger… Hermione," Snape greeted her rather curtly as he entered the kitchen.

"S-Severus!" Hermione exclaimed. She turned to look at him and pulled her bathrobe tighter around herself. She certainly wasn't showing any skin, but Hermione felt shy to be seen in her bathrobe by her former professor.

"You look quite pale this morning."

Frowning, Hermione nodded. "Perhaps I do."

Severus studied her closely, to the point of nearly making her squirm. "I… I do hope I was not the cause of your missed rest last night."

Something made her body jolt, though she wasn't sure what it was. "Why would you be?" Hermione snapped, beginning to fill her cup.

"Miss Granger, I am attempting to apologize for my careless words, I do not appreciate being snapped at while I am doing so!"

Hermione turned around to look at him again, scowling indignantly. Then she began to laugh!

Now it was Severus' turn to scowl with indignation. "I hardly find my apology a cause for laughter!"

"Oh goodness, you sounded just like you did back at Hogwarts!" Hermione continued to laugh. "I'm hardly a school girl anymore! It's not as though you can command my behavior and assign detention if it doesn't match your wishes!"

Snape's look became deadly. "I am quite serious here… Hermione… I was attempting to apologize for the careless comment I made last night. I thought I might have… caused you undue pain."

Before Hermione could answer, Severus turned on his heel and stalked out of the kitchen. Damn woman!

She watched him walk away, completely stunned. Severus Snape, concerned for her? **_Apologizing! _**When had her world that she had worked so hard to create as a protective shell for herself, been turned upside down?

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Hermione was thankful when Severus volunteered later that day to take the girls outside to play. It gave her the opportunity she needed to seek advice from Aralyn.

"Aralyn? Would you mind if we talked?"

"Of course not," Aralyn's smile was warm and inviting. "Come sit with me. I have a feeling this is something rather serious; am I right?"

Hermione crossed the room and sat beside her in one of the stuffed chairs. "You are right. I… I think I've betrayed Harry; his memory that is. Something… touched me yesterday, gave me a feeling I haven't felt since he and I were together. It made me yearn for things that he and I had planned to do together. Only I was yearning for them with someone new."

Watching Severus with Hailey had really rocked Hermione. It made her aware that she would have feelings of possibly love, desire or romance for another man. While the feeling had been great as it happened, feeling her with warmth, she felt so wrong for feeling it.

"Hermione, it is perfectly natural to begin to heal from the loss of a beloved. It tends to happen whether we wish it to or not," Aralyn began gently.

"I didn't know Harry personally. From all you've told me about him, I truly believe that he would want you to someday; when you are ready, move on. To not let his memory ruin the long life you have ahead of you. He wouldn't want you to forget him, of course, but I don't think he'd want you to shut yourself away from a love that could come your way.

He would have wanted you to be able to be happy, to live. To live your life to it's fullest. Whether that meant a new love someday, or teaching or doing anything and everything that made you happy."

Aralyn hoped that Hermione could understand all she tried to tell her.

Tears pricked her eyes as Hermione listened with both her heart and mind. It made sense, it really did, but she still missed him. She didn't think it was time yet to let go; or maybe it was?

Above all the hurt that she felt, what Hermione felt most was confusion and fear. Fear that someday she would be completely alone. Fear that maybe when she was ready to move on that would be too late.

In a house full of people and love, Hermione felt so entirely alone and afraid.

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	5. Chapter 4

Hermione took Aralyn's words to heart, deliberating them carefully over the next few days. Everything Aralyn had said made sense, but knowing and doing are two different things. Was Hermione truly ready to move past Harry?

And _why _was this coming to a head now? Why now, when Snape was here? "_It couldn't possibly have anything to do with him…" _Hermione was quick to try reassuring herself, but her heart was racing with the thought of it all.

What was it about Snape that was unnerving her so? Other then what had been perceived as a nasty personality during her school years, Hermione had found and saw different sides of the surly professor over the past days that she never would have thought possible before.

Was she just now getting to know the 'real' Severus Snape? And if so, _why _did that thought fill her stomach with butterflies?

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As Hermione fought with her emotions over the next few days, trying to decide if now was the right time to move on, Severus Snape fought with his impatience! Aralyn repeatedly warned him to be patient, give Hermione time to work things out.

Patience was something Severus Snape severely lacked! What little patience he did have, however, did pay off…

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"Alright girls, shoes on please and make sure not to forget your bag," Hermione instructed her young charges. The girls bounded off to the other room to collect their things, leaving Hermione waiting by the door.

"No lessons today, Hermione?"

Startled by the sudden realization that Snape was also in the room, she turned around quickly to face him. "Yes and no," she answered.

"Yes and no?" His tone had a hint of disdain at such an answer. His arm was promptly swatted by Aralyn who was lying on the couch. Severus glared at her, earning a defiant glare in return.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh! "Yes, Severus. Yes and no is my answer. Yes, they are having lessons, but no, not traditional ones. We're going leave hunting. I am trying to also teach the girls about the nature around them and I thought they'd enjoy leaf gathering at a lunch at the playground a few blocks over. When we get back, I'll teach them which trees they found leaves from."

He nodded, admitting silently that it was actually a very good idea.

"Would you like to come with us?" She asked.

The startled look on his face was priceless! He tried to shake it off, but was too late. "If Aralyn agrees, then yes," Severus replied quietly.

"Yay uncle coming too!" Hailey squealed, diving at her uncle.

Hermione laughed as the little girl wrapped her arms around Snape's legs. She smiled as he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder as if she didn't weigh a thing.

Severus looked over at Hermione then, and stood transfixed by her smile for a moment; at least until the imp over his shoulder started poking his back and talking a mile a minute.

"Go Severus, go," Aralyn called with a big grin. "Have fun. I can owl you and you can be here in minutes if anything should happen." She waved for them to leave, then kissed the girls.

"Alright. Now remember the rules, we must hold hands while we walk to the park," Hermione told the little ones as they left.

"I wanna ride like this!" Hailey giggled, still over Snape's shoulder.

Severus merely looked at Hermione and shrugged. "As long as you aren't uncomfortable." As Maisie took Hermione's left hand, and Lynessa took Maisie's other hand, he reached over and took Hermione's right hand.

"Severus!" She half-exclaimed and half-question with her tone.

"Yes?" He began walking as though she was not staring at him and it was all perfectly normal.

"Severus why are you holding my hand?" This time, Hermione sounded quite demanding.

"Quite simple really: we are being good examples to these imps by holding hands as the rule requires." Snape ached to smirk at her as his answer sunk in; he held back though, instead attempting a slightly odd smile.

"Oh…" Her face colored slightly. "I suppose that makes sense." Hermione suddenly became aware of Maisie and Lynessa watching the interaction with extreme interest. The girls were grinning at them both, and Hermione was anxious to get things moving!

"Well, now that we are all holding hands, let's continue on to the park for leaf picking."

"Hermione, your face is red," Maisie whispered rather loudly.

The governess coughed. "Is it, dear? I suppose so."

"It is," Severus chimed in. He kept his tone low, more for her ears then the girls' ears, and made a good effort at leaving sarcasm and teasing aside. "It's not a bad color for you, even quite enchanting."

Severus' embarrassment at saying such a thing, particularly in front of his nieces, was made greater by Hailey. The little girl over his shoulder poked his back gently.

"Is enchan-ing in fairy tales? Don't that mean she's pretty?" Hailey assumed her uncle's cough and following long silence as a yes. "Uncle thinks you're pretty, Hermy!"

"Do you uncle Severus?" Maisie asked, very curious at the odd behavior between her governess and uncle.

"Yeah, do ya do ya do ya?" Added Lynessa.

By now, the whole little group had stopped and was looking at Severus, waiting for an answer.

After clearing his throat, Severus answered softly. "Yes; I do think your governess is pretty."

Amid the giggling girls, Hermione's heart began to race. Was it possible that he was attracted to her? Were they attracted to each other?

Her eyes caught Snape's and for a moment they could only look at each other, reading the strange emotions playing in each other's eyes. Then, she looked away, not really wishing Snape to see how much his words both shook her and meant to her.

"Come on girls, we promised your mother we wouldn't be gone too long. Let's get moving."

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After warning the girls to stay close and stay together, Hermione settled on a blanket on the grass, setting the picnic basket down as well. Severus stood for a while, watching his nieces, before he sat down beside her.

"You're being much quieter then you used to be, Hermione," he commented.

She shrugged her shoulders, remaining quiet.

"This will be an excruciatingly long outing if we do not speak with each other."

Hermione knew he had a valid point. "Very well; I just don't feel like I have a lot to say."

"Say whatever comes to your mind," Severus encouraged.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" The words flew out of her mouth of their own accord, making Hermione feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Slowly, Severus nodded. "Yes," he whispered. "I do. You've grown into a beautiful woman, Hermione." _Merlin, I love the sound of her name. Though probably not a good idea to remind her that I've watched her growing up, it just brings to mind that I was her professor…_

_God, I love the way he says my name… _"Th-thank you Severus," she whispered. "I never thought I'd hear something like that coming from you."

"I never thought I'd be able to say it."

Her eyes narrowed, an angry look settling over her face. "What's that to mean?" If he was implying she was so unattractive as a kid that her looks now as a woman surprised him, he had another thing coming; likely a slap across the face!

_She's definitely one of those beautiful-when-angry women… _"Calm yourself!" Snape ordered. "It wasn't intended in a derogatory way. All I meant by it was that I never thought I would someday find myself saying something like that to a former student, to a student who has grown into a lovely woman whom I have interest in."

Hermione had pretty much stopped listening after his ordering her to calm down. "I will not calm myself unless I damn well please, Severus Snape! Don't you dare talk to me like a child! Perhaps I wasn't the most adorable looking little girl that ever walked into Hogwarts, but that gives you no…"

She will be on a tangent for hours, I'm sure if I don't somehow stop her and make her listen to what I really meant…How am I supposed to quiet her!

Before Hermione could finish her sentence, Severus grabbed her and pulled her tightly against him, covering her mouth with his own.

She went rigid in his arms, shocked and unsure what to think. After several seconds, she surrendered to Severus' passionate, wonderful kiss; warmth spread from her mouth and coursed through her entire body. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

Within seconds the girls surrounded them. "Eww," Hailey said. "What they doing?"

"Kissing," Maisie answered. "Grown ups do it, it's icky."

Severus was lost in his pursuit of kissing Hermione, determined to give her a kiss she would never forget. He was deeply disappointed when the kiss broke apart as his nieces spoke.

"How… how…" Hermione stuttered for a moment, before her hand slapped his left cheek. "How dare you!" she shouted.

He looked at her in shock for a moment before rubbing his now throbbing cheek. "Hermione…" Snape could see the tears in her eyes as she stood there before him, her hands on her slender hips.

She turned her back to him, trying to compose herself; it would never do it lose it in front of her charges. "Bring the girls back with you, make sure they gather their leaves." Without another word she started back to Aralyn's home, silent tears beginning to run down her face.

"Hermione, please!" Severus called to her. She didn't even act like she heard him, so he watched her walking away until he couldn't see her any longer.

"Your face is all red," Lynessa said softly.

Hailey's mouth was open and her eyes wide. "Hermy hitted you!"

Severus growled under his breath. "Alright girls, make sure you have all the leaves that you need. We're going to go back to your house and have our picnic in the backyard."

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Hermione burst into the house, causing Aralyn to look up in shock from the couch. She leaned against the closed front door, a few stray tears still trailing down her pale face.

"What happened?" Aralyn asked, carefully getting up. It was quite a feat, but she managed it. "Are you alright?"

She watched Hermione's hand come up and touch her lips, her hand shaking slightly. "He… he… He kissed me."

Aralyn approached her, looking slightly confused.

"Then I hit him; I was angry he kissed me, but I don't know why. When he stopped, I didn't want him to stop…" Hermione continued to speak, her voice very soft. "I wanted to keep kissing him; it felt right. It shouldn't feel right! He was my professor, he's so much older then me! We hated him… Why did it feel right!"

With a gentle, motherly smile, Aralyn led Hermione into the kitchen for tea and a long talk.

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A/N: School has been crazy, midterms suck! Plus there was a death in the family. I'm so sorry for such a long delay, I am hoping to have the next chapter ready really quickly for you all, to make up for it!


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Just to remind everyone, I don't own anything except any original characters. I just like to play with them. Also, I'm poor so don't bother suing me. Thanks!

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Hermione spent the rest of the day pretending the incident had never happened. She needed more time for reflection before even thinking of discussing it with Snape.

"Hermy, are you okay?" Lynessa asked.

She looked up from helping Hailey put her leafs that she had gathered onto construction paper, thanks to muggle plastic book wrap. "Of course honey," she answered quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're not excited anymore," Maisie pointed out. "You were all super excited about the leafs we were gonna get and now you're all quiet. I like the leafs." The dark-haired girl gave a slight pout of displeasure.

Smiling, Hermione reached over and pulled Maisie into a hug. "I know you love the leaves darling and I'm sorry if I'm making you upset. I was just thinking about something important."

"Uncle?" Hailey piped up.

"Mhm," Hermione answered absentmindedly. Silence reigned for a moment.

"Why?"

"Why what?" She looked at the curious faces of the three girls.

"Why you thinking bout uncle?" Hailey prodded.

Lynessa nodded. "Yeah, why? Do you love him all up?"

Maisie looked up at Hermione, still sitting in her governess' lap. "Do you?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione then said slowly, "I'm not sure yet."

"So you mean maybe?"

She nodded, than kissed Maisie's head. "Yes, I suppose that's the way to say it. Maybe, but I'm not fully sure yet, so don't say anything to your uncle, alright?"

The girls all nodded and promised very solemnly that they wouldn't tell Snape about what she had said. Hermione only hoped they remembered that promise longer then they usually did.

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Around midnight that very same night, a small bundle creeped up onto Severus' bed. Quirking an eyebrow, he rolled over to see what was disturbing his sleep, only to find a bedraggled Lynessa.

"What are you doing up child, its hours past your bedtime!" Even as he spoke, he got out of bed and picked her up, heading towards her room with the intent of putting her back to bed.

"I heard something," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Severus' neck.

"Did you?"

She nodded. "Crying."

Severus stopped and looked down at her. "What do you mean?"

Lynessa rolled her eyes. "I just said! I heard crying. You need to use your listening ears." She grinned at the frown that crossed her uncle's face.

"Alright, you heard crying. So why did you come find me, instead of your mother or Hermione?" he asked, the frown slipping away.

"Cuz its Hermione." The little girl sounded a bit frustrated, which elicited a slight smile from her surly uncle.

The smile faded as quickly as it came, when he realized what Lynessa was trying to say. "Hermione was crying? Where is she?"

"Outside. I seen her under my window."

Severus set her down on the floor. "I'll go check on Hermione, alright? You be a good girl and go back to bed."

"Okay." Lynessa hugged his leg tightly, then turned and ran back to her bedroom.

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Outside, Hermione was indeed sitting on the back porch and crying, crying tears of confusion and happiness. Did Severus really care about her? Why hadn't Harry's kisses elicited such a passionate response from her? Could it possibly be that she hadn't been as much in love with Harry as she thought? What would everyone think if she started seeing her former professor in a romantic sense?

She was lost in her thoughts, as well as a box of tissues, when the opening of the back door made her jump and whirl around. Her jaw dropped when she saw it was Severus.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, wishing that girlish squeak she had would go away.

"Nessa woke me. She heard you crying and was concerned; I also was concerned and came to check on you," he answered. "May I?" Without waiting for an answer, he sat in a wicker chair next to hers.

Hermione frowned slightly, then her face relaxed and she looked tired, tired and lost.

"Why are you crying Hermione?" Severus could still see a few tears slide down her face.

"I'm not." Her voice wavered a bit, and she hurriedly took a sip of the hot cocoa she had brought out with her.

"Then what is this?" He contradicted her by leaning over and brushing away a few tears with his thumb. "Strange; your face is wet, your eyes are glistening, but you're not crying. You must be some sort of marvel, have you been studied by a mediwitch, Miss Granger?"

Hermione wanted to jerk away when he brushed away her tears, but she couldn't find the will to make her body move away from his gentle touch. At his silly joke, she smiled softly at him, finding his sense of humor to be both surprising and enjoyable.

After sipping on her cocoa for a moment longer, their eyes locked on one another, Hermione asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

Severus, who hadn't been prepared for such an emotionally charged question, coughed. "Well, isn't it obvious?" _There, make her do all the emotional answers; I'll just avoid them!_

She rolled her eyes. "No, Severus Snape, it isn't." Hermione watched him, and saw nervousness in his eyes.

"I kissed you, because I wanted to."

"Why?"

"What more do you want me to say, woman!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, before laughing softly. "Woman? Well, at least we've gotten past the point of you addressing me like a schoolgirl. Someday, you might actually say my name properly if I keep working on you."

He chuckled; she was sharp! Sharp, witty and clever, and of course a brilliant witch. _Someone in a relationship with him would need to be clever and have a good sense of humor_, he thought to himself.

"Alright, if you don't want to tell me why you kissed me, I want to know if you enjoyed it."

"Did you?"

"Don't answer a question with a question!" Hermione frowned at him, her face flushing with exasperation.

"Why shouldn't I answer a question with a question?"

Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "I give up; leave me alone now, please!" She turned to face away from him.

Severus frowned; he was not skilled at these types of discussions! If she was waiting for him to make some deep, moving revelation of love for her, she might be waiting longer then she wished!

"So you are going to pout now and no longer speak to me?"

"Precisely," she snapped.

"Why is that?" Severus' voice remained monotone, though he detested being snapped at.

"Damn you Severus Snape!" Hermione got up and stalked towards the door. She didn't get far, however, before his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back towards him.

"Let go of me this instant," she growled.

"Because I care about you…" Severus whispered. "And I'm not especially skilled at saying so."

"Severus you…" Hermione stopped mid-rant. "What did you say?"

Severus sighed, like he was being very greatly put-upon. "You asked why I kissed you, and I just told you that it is because I care for you and about you. Also, I did enjoy it; if your reaction was any indication, I am quite sure you enjoyed it as well."

She blinked, looking at him blankly for several moments. Severus remained silent as she gathered her thoughts, his eyes locked on hers.

"Why are you so angry Hermione? I can see it in your eyes."

Pulling her robe closer around herself and pulling away from him slightly she took a deep breath. "Because I was in love with Harry; or at least I was supposed to be, or I thought I was anyway. Ever since he's been gone…"

"_It is possible to love someone Hermione, without them being the one that's meant for you. Perhaps he opened a door today that needed opening. It doesn't mean you loved Harry any less, it only means that he may not have been your soul mate. Don't close your possibilities because of what should or shouldn't have been. You are still alive Hermione, and have such a long life ahead of you…" _Aralyn's wisdom from earlier echoed in her mind.

Severus waited patiently, surprisingly enough, for her to gather her thoughts.

"I'm very confused," Hermione whispered. She couldn't stand the way he looked into her eyes just then, as though he was looking into her very soul, so she looked down at the wood of the porch.

"That does tend to come with being human," Severus began quietly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to us all. What is confusing you, Hermione?"

As he rested his hand on her shoulder, confidant she wasn't going to go storming inside now, Severus could feel her tremble at his touch.

"Harry and you. I thought I loved him, but he never… It was not between he and I like it was between you and I today. I'd never felt that before when I'd kissed him. It frightens me, because I don't understand it. I hate not knowing or understanding." Tears gathered once more in her eyes.

Severus' heart began to beat very quickly and he felt nervous. "I've heard that things… like this," he paused to cough slightly. "Are very difficult to understand."

She smiled softly, though he couldn't see it. "That's what Aralyn said. She told me not to close any doors."

"Sometimes she can be quite wise, as mush as it irks me to admit," he grumbled. He frowned as Hermione began to move away from him again. "Where are you going?"

Hermione turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around herself without giving him an answer.

Severus wasn't about to have any of that though, and went to stand behind her, turning her around. "You're crying again." When she merely nodded, he began to brush a few tears from her face with his thumb. "Why?"

"I can't be hurt anymore, I just can't," Hermione whispered, struggling to control her emotions and losing. "My heart just can't take it; everything, I lost everything and everyone and I can't open my heart again! I have for the girls and each night I cry inside because I won't have my own children and…"

He had no idea what to say as she rambled amid her tears, but when she began to sob he knew exactly what to do. Severus pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.

Hermione didn't even try to fight Severus, or even think about fighting him. Instead she let him wrap her up in his arms, his strong arms that made her feel safe. She rested her head against his broad chest and continued to cry. "Harry and my parents and…"

"Shh," Severus whispered, holding her tighter. "I know Hermione; I'm sorry that you lost them. It's alright to cry now." _Where is this coming from? Have I been a romantic in hiding all these years? Of course not, it's just her. Or rather, because of her, that I suppose I'm now acquiring such a skill…_

"It will be alright," he continued to soothe. Severus began to gently stroke her hair, like he had when he had been caring for her after the final battle. She had always calmed for him when he did that, and tonight was no exception. Her body grew heavier in his arms and Severus looked down at her to find her asleep.

Carefully, he picked her up and carried her into the house and upstairs to her room. The décor surprised him, but he would reflect on that later. Now, he was going to put Hermione to bed. Laying her down gently so as not to wake her, Severus then covered her with the blankets.

"I will never hurt you Hermione, if only you will have me," he whispered. Leaning down, he kissed her lips ever so softly before leaving the room.

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A/N: Well, it's shorter then I'd like, but I'm really happy with this chapter! I hope everyone else is too! Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, I really enjoy reading each and every review I receive. It spurs me on to write more! So I've answered some of the reviews below--

Rinny08: Thanks for your review! I hope the story continues to please people as the chapters progress. Thanks for reading!

AnnabelleElizabeth: Thanks for your review Lizzie! Glad you like the setup, I think that was the hardest thing to decide on, was fitting the challenge and yet writing a "full" story if you understand what I mean. Thanks again!

Lost Angel 92: Thanks for reading and reviewing! And thank you for your kind words.

Janangel: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad you like it so far!

Severus-Fan: Thank you very much for such a kind review (the one you left for chapter 2). This has been a new adventure for me, I haven't written romance before, let alone something Snape/Hermione! I am so glad you like it. Thank you!

Mysticpam: Thank you for reviewing!

Azulkan2: I'm glad you think it's a good story so far! Thank you for reviewing!

Karania Avalon: Thanks for reviewing it hon!

Craftygrl: Thanks for your review Linda! A month is an awfully long time, there's a lot that could happen! (grin)

Bella: Thanks for reviewing!

Ccrawley10: Thanks for reading, hope you are really enjoying the story!

Bene Gesserit Witch: Sadly, I think you are right on your theory with JKR and the "Half Blood Prince" act of martyrdom.

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Bellakuupio: Aww, thanks! Sorry to keep everyone waiting so long lately!

MxSRose: Hope you're still enjoying the story!

Crissy: Glad you like it!

Stegijsa: To be honest, I'm not sure who will finally make them become a couple either LOL. I never really had a plan for this story, it's just kind of: sit at computer, start typing, see where it goes. So far so good I think!

Midnight Tiger: Thanks for such a nice review! Sometimes it's hard with the Harry Potter world to do canon fanfic, because we don't know yet how things will really end! Plus, it's important to keep the characters in character, so I try to keep Snape a bit surly and such anyway just because that is how Snape is LOL. And it's fun making Hermione see past his surliness and be startled by it LOL.

Severus-Fan: Thank you for your review! I am so glad that you love the story. And I don't know about awesome LOL. I just happened to be really good at all that English stuff in school, hee hee. And I'd love to make Severus feel better too, LOL. There's just something about that man…

CareBearErin: Hi there! I agree with you, fics with original characters are sometimes not the best. The whole Mary-Sue effect. So I try to keep mine there only for moving the story along, which is why most of the parts with Aralyn are her talking to someone else LOL. And the kids are an excuse for Hermione to have a job, plus a way for her to see Severus open up a bit. I hope you did well on your midterms!

Andrea: Daddy's Little Gryffindor did not stop being updated. I separated the story of Tirza into years of her life. After Daddy's Little Gryffindor came "Tirza Snape, Hogwarts Student" and now she is in her second year of classes at Hogwarts in "Back In Action: A Year of Mischief and Magic" If you click on my author name (tirzasnape) it takes you to the page that shows you all my stories and you can find them there.

CapriceAnn: Girl you are so funny! Thanks for that lovely long review, I really enjoyed it. I'm sorry to hear of the deaths in your family as well, and my prayers are with you. It's always hard to lose family, especially when you are very close with them. And your theory on the HBP is exactly the same that I am sticking too! I will not admit HBP is a murderer LOL! Take care of yourself hon!


	7. Chapter 6

Warning: mild swearing

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Hermione rose much earlier then expected the next morning, having had a rare night of peaceful sleep. She wondered if it had anything to do with the way Severus had held her and comforted her; she'd like to think it did.

She rolled over to find she was not alone in her bed! "Hailey?"

The little girl rolled over to look at her. "Morning Hermy!"

Hermione laughed. "Good morning little munchkin!" She kissed Hailey's forehead. "How did you end up in my bed?"

"I had a bad dream and wanted to snuggle, but the baby makes mummy real big and fat and I can't snuggle good with her now," Hailey said matter-of-factly. "That ok?"

Hermione hugged the little girl close. "Of course it is. You can come snuggle with me anytime you have a bad dream."

"Yay!" Hailey squealed, giving Hermione a wet kiss on the cheek. "I love you and I want you to be my auntie, cuz I say so!"

Hermione laughed softly and shook her head. "Well, we'll have to see how it goes, sweetums. For now, how about some bear pancakes, chocolate chips in them?"

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Severus Snape loved mornings, especially early mornings. They were quiet, peaceful and induced relaxation. He growled under his breath in annoyance as he heard someone coming down the stairs and towards the kitchen; at least until he saw who it was!

Hermione entered, still in her robe from the night before, carrying Hailey in her arms. She looked beautiful, even with her hairy messy and her face pale from sleep. Severus noticed for the first time that a light patch of freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks; they were endearing and he found himself wishing they weren't covered in the regular daytime by magic or muggle supplies.

"Uncle!" Hailey grinned widely. "I get bear pancakes!"

Severus blinked. "You get what?"

"Bear pancakes, silly!" The little girl hurried over to Severus and climbed, without invitation, into his lap, to explain about Hermione's bear pancakes.

"Morning Severus," Hermione blushed, wishing she had changed and fixed her hair before coming down. "I always seem to forget that you are an early-riser."

"Might I try some of these 'bear pancakes' of yours?" Severus asked. "Hailey is insistent that they are extremely good."

She nodded and began taking out the ingredients to make teddy bear face-shaped pancakes.

"Uncle," Hailey whispered.

Severus looked down at her. "Hmm?"

"Hermy thinks she loves you." The little girl grinned. "You gonna marry her?"

Severus' face turned bright red. "Maybe someday Hailey," he said very softly. "Did she tell you that?"

Hailey nodded. "Yesterday, after we got home from the park. Why's your face red? You shy?"

He coughed. "Something similar to that."

"You look silly!"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Thank you, child, that's just what I wanted to hear."

"Yay, I did good!" Hailey giggled and kissed his cheek.

Try as he might, Severus was wholly unable to resist little Hailey's exuberance and happiness. Growling in a playful manner, he tickled her a little, before holding her close and kissing her forehead.

"What a picture you two would make," Hermione said with a smirk.

"Do not even think such a thing, Hermione Granger," Severus said sternly.

Hermione laughed. "You're not nearly as frightening as you used to be Severus. Hailey love, sit in your own chair for your breakfast please. And Severus, why is your face red?"

"Cuz you love him and he's shy!" Hailey shouted as she bounced to her own chair.

Severus and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, both their faces growing extremely red.

"Err, well…" Hermione searched for something to say and came up empty.

Severus coughed loudly. _This game of love is going to become annoying very quickly if I cannot stop blushing like a school boy around her. What would people think?_

"Err… pancakes are ready." Hermione hurriedly handed out the plates. The pancakes were quite large; one bigger with chocolate chips to illustrate the face, with two smaller ones for ears.

"YAY bears!" Hailey giggled and dug into her breakfast, completely unaware of how uncomfortable she had just made her uncle and her governess.

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There was a meeting for a conspiracy that very afternoon, in the large playhouse in the back yard. It had been built by the girls' father, all by himself, just for them. After much begging and pleading, the girls had managed to talk Hermione into letting them eat their lunch inside the playhouse.

"Promise you'll eat properly and not make too big of a mess?" The governess had questioned.

Three angelic faces nodded, a little over enthusiastically; something was being plotted though she was unsure what.

"Alright. No fighting in there either! I'll eat outside at the picnic table and you girls may eat inside your house," Hermione agreed.

That was how Hermione Granger came to be eating all alone outside, while the girls peeped out the playhouse windows at her.

"Is uncle coming?" Hailey asked.

Lynessa shook her head. "Not yet."

"He'll come," Maisie told them both with confidence.

"How you know?"

Maisie sighed dramatically. "When you're a big girl like me Hailey, you'll just know things like that."

Nessa and Hailey rolled their eyes at their big sister and continued to eat while spying.

"HERE HE COME!" Hailey squealed happily several moments later.

Maisie smirked at them. "Told you so!"

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"Hermione," Severus greeted with a nod of his head. "Where are the children?"

Putting down her book, she turned to look up at him. "They were extremely insistent on eating inside their playhouse today. I didn't think it would hurt to allow them too, but I wanted to stay close by in case they needed me or began to fight."

Nodding again, Severus sat down without invitation. "Girls and playhouses, hm? I suppose you had one?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Actually, I had a tree house that I played in. It wasn't mine really, but the family who owned our house before us had built it. I used to invite friends over and we would play that it was a flying pirate ship."

Severus chuckled. "A flying pirate ship?"

"Mhm; we had quite a lot of fun in it. Sadly to say, it too is gone."

"Gone?"

Hermione pushed her salad around with her fork a little before answering. "Yes, gone."

"I understand the concept of the word 'gone' Hermione. I was looking for an explanation as to why it is gone," Severus said, barely biting back the sarcasm behind his words. "I hardly imagine it was taken over by another band of bushy-haired pirates."

"I don't have bushy hair! Anymore…" She pouted.

He smirked his almost trade-mark smirk. "No, I cannot say that it is anymore," he agreed. "However, my question is still unanswered and discussions of your hair will not distract me from seeking an answer."

Hermione began to slowly grin. "My, my, how little patience you have; but such great determination!"

His eyebrow cocked. "And what cheek you have, Hermione."

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"What are they doing now?" Maisie asked. "I can't see past you!"

"Hermy sticked her tongue out!" Hailey giggled loudly. "She looked funny!"

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"Thank you for further proving my point, Miss Granger."

Hermione waved her hand at him. "Back to that, are we Professor?"

"You do have the most interesting sense of humor, Hermione. I hadn't expected it from you. And that wasn't an insult in by any means!" Severus was sure to add.

"Well, you've been quite surprising yourself. I must say, I've enjoyed the majority of our talks together. You aren't nearly as snarky as you used to be."

"Snarky!" The look of disgust on Snape's face was priceless.

She grinned again. "Yes, Severus, snarky."

Severus frowned. "I most certainly am not! I also resent the implication that I am!"

Hermione could only laugh. "The look on your face! You know it's true!"

"Be quiet, woman," he grumbled.

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"They aren't doing icky things yet," Lynessa pointed out. "Aren't they supposed to do icky things when they love each other?"

"EW! No kissing!" Hailey exclaimed, covering her eyes with her hands.

"They aren't yet, but be quiet! They're gonna hear us if you keep being so loud!" Maisie frowned at her younger sisters, feeling quite frustrated with them at the moment.

"You don't know everything," Nessa pointed out.

Hailey of course, joined right in. "Yeah! Don't know!"

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"Back to your flying pirate ship," Severus said, steering the subject away from his being snarky. "Did it fly away on you?"

Hermione sighed sadly, the laughter of just a moment ago dying on her lips. "No, it didn't."

Severus cocked his eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously. "Then what?"

"It was destroyed, alright? Happy now?" Hermione shouted in frustration.

"Temper, temper," he teased. He was instantly rewarded with a glare.

"You are extremely stubborn and pig-headed and a general pain in the arse!" she spouted at him angrily. "I don't want to discuss this any further, and am sorry I even brought it up now. If you cannot suppress your curiousity and keep your large nose out of my business, then you can take your lunch elsewhere!"

Severus stared at her in shock for a moment. She certainly had a temper on her! This was obviously a touchy subject, more so then he had thought it was. _Wait! Large nose? LARGE nose?_

"How dare you call my nose large?" Severus boomed.

"Perhaps it would be smaller if you kept it to yourself!"

Severus growled. "Perhaps you wouldn't suffer so much if you talked about your problems with someone who is willing to listen, instead of insulting them."

Hermione scowled. "I'm a very private person, thank you!"

"You think you're a burden, so you don't open up like you truly want too; if you would stop for a moment and pay attention you'd realize I only want to help you because I care about you, damn it all!"

Amidst their scowling and ranting, they had moved closer together, their faces less then a foot apart. Hermione could smell the scent of herbs that always followed him everywhere, like it was soaked into his skin.

"Then let me come to you when I want to talk! You don't always have to hunt me down and pester me relentlessly until you get your way!" Hermione shouted in his face.

"If you don't stop shouting at me, I'll…" Severus began to threaten.

"Ha! You'll what?" It was a challenge if ever a challenge had been given.

"I'll kiss you again!" _Oh yes Severus, bloody brilliant, _he mentally kicked himself. _That'll put fear in her alright, and I'll sprout wings._

Hermione snorted; she actually snorted at this threat!

_That insufferable little… _Her next words caught him off guard.

"Then do it already, or shut up!"

Without a second's hesitation, Severus grabbed her and pulled her close. Her lips were crushed beneath his. This time she wasn't rigid at all, she was ready for it at the beginning!

Hermione wrapped her arms around Severus' neck, tilting her head up to meet his lips. The passion she felt exploded within her, like a ravenous hunger, and she would starve if she didn't get enough of his lips.

Severus held her closer, as close and as tight as he dared while he smothered her with his lips; he could feel her melting, her body trembling with new-found desire. When her lips parted for him, he kissed her more deeply, exploring her beautiful mouth.

Finally the kiss had to end before they ran out of oxygen or began to devour each other in the back yard. When it ended, Hermione was left breathless and trembling.

"Severus, I…"

"Shh," he said softly, gently putting his finger over her lips. "You've already said everything you need to say."

Hermione nodded, feeling a bit stupid, as well as a bit weak and dizzy. This was insane! Yet, it was wonderful. She never wanted it to end.

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"Eeeeeeeee!" the girls shouted, and then dissolved into giggles. "We did it!"

"Yay! They gonna marry now, huh?" Hailey asked.

"They should, they should really soon," Maisie decided. "We just gotta help them if they need it, so keep a look out, ok?"

Hailey and Lynessa nodded solemnly. They'd see to it Hermione become their auntie!

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A/N: YAY! This is probably the fastest update I've ever done! I guess the stress of tests has put me in the mood to write! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, thank you SO much for all your lovely reviews! I'll try and update again very soon!


	8. Chapter 7

_Those gentle hands fed her slowly, helping her drink. She felt hot pain flash through her; as soon as she whimpered, he was there again. He didn't leave her side and she knew he was there even if she didn't open her eyes. The dark hair tickled her face as he leaned close, helping her still. The look in his currant-black eyes was one of concern and tenderness…_

Wait! Hermione knew those eyes! She had stared deeply into those eyes for the past two days, had been kissed by the owner of those eyes! She felt herself waking up from her dream, or at least she thought she did; her nightmare changed gears.

_Green light blinded her, shouts echoed all around her; her voice caught in her throat as she moved forward at what felt like a turtle's pace. It was too late and the body, his body, lay at her feet, battered and bruised. Voldemort lay just a few feet away. It was over, all over…_

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A piercing scream woke the Laurent household and its guest. Severus sprang out of bed in a matter of seconds and grabbed his wand, charging towards the direction of the scream and subsequent sobs.

"Girls, come here! Come quickly," Aralyn called, unsure what was happening and unable to get up fast enough to be of any help. Her daughters ran to her, flinging themselves on the bed.

"Mummy," Maisie whispered. "I think its Hermione, having a real real bad dream."

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Snape threw open Hermione's door, entering the soft serene blue room. The room apparently held no serenity for its occupant. "Lumos!" As a light illuminated the room, he was able to ascertain that there was no physical threat to Hermione or anyone else.

Hermione sat on her bed sobbing, a feeling like ice spreading through her stomach, her veins pulsing with an overwhelming sense of loss and emptiness. She pulled her knees to her, hugging them as she shook with tears.

She did notice the entrance of her former-professor, currently wearing nothing more then a pair of loose fitting pants much resembling sweat pants. Hermione flung her hands out towards him in simple despair, beginning to ramble.

"You were there and I didn't know it was you and it was! Then I saw him and the light and so much blood, everything smelled like rot and death and I was hurting and…"

Severus' hands came down over hers possessively, squeezing him. "Hermione, you must calm down. Breathe deeply; no, don't try to speak." His finger pressed gently against her soft lips. "Take deep breaths, we shall work it out later."

Hermione nodded, her heart beating fast, telling her to trust his words. She leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder as he knelt beside her bed to hold her hands.

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His heart lurched at her tears. Instinctively Severus closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. His strong arms lifted her up, and then he sat on the bed and held her closely in his arms once more.

As she curled into his touch, sobbing onto his shoulder, Severus began to whisper softly.

"Shh, it is alright Hermione." His words echoed those very words of her nightmares and dreams. "It will be alright; I won't let anything hurt you. We shall work it out, I promise you. Trust me now; calm down and breathe deeply."

Severus was of course concerned about what had caused Hermione to grow so upset, and was curious as to the meaning of her ramblings when he entered. Was she talking about him? What was haunting her at night? Was she remembering the last battles; the week he cared for her?

Whispering soft words of comfort into her ear, he rocked her very slowly in his arms. _I hope this works the same as before, when she was injured. How did I know how to do this then? What is wrong and why does it upset me so to see her this way?_

He had never felt more relieved then when Hermione began to quiet and breathe more evenly. It didn't surprise him to look down at her and find her asleep in his arms. _She's so beautiful and good; why does she have to be haunted so?_

Kissing her forehead, Snape then realized he was quite effectively trapped. Should he get up and attempt to put her back to bed, Hermione might wake up and his efforts at calming her down would go to waste.

_I can hardly sleep here holding her, can I?_ Severus sighed. _I suppose I don't have much other choice!_

Snape carefully settled back against the headboard, propping a pillow behind himself. He was quiet for a long time, watching her sleeping, before growing tired once more. _Perhaps this isn't so bad after all…_

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The rising sun stirred the sleeping pair much sooner then either wanted. Hermione felt calm and peaceful, contentedly resting against the warm lines of… a **body!** She jerked away looking up at whoever was holding her. It was Severus!

_Of course it is you silly girl, there's not exactly any other male person in the house is there? _She thought. Hermione wondered briefly how they came to be sitting on her bed, with her in his lap and enveloped in his arms; then she remembered waking from her nightmare with a scream.

He looks quite peaceful, really. I know I slept well once I calmed down, best sleep I've had in a while really. He even smiles a little in his sleep; I wonder if he knows that. Oh my god, where's his shirt?

Hermione's face flushed crimson, as she took in the sight of his well developed arms, rather massive shoulders and broad, muscular chest. _Who the hell would have known he was hiding… that… under all those black robes? _She found herself pondering how handsome he truly was; whether or not his nose was on the larger side.

"Is that a smirk on your face, Hermione Granger?" Severus' rumbling voice jerked Hermione out of her thoughts.

"Probably," she admitted, her face growing crimson once more. Clearing her throat, Hermione tried to look firm. "This is inappropriate."

A smirk settled onto his face as well. "Perhaps. It was however successful in getting you to calm down and back to sleep. Whatever you were dreaming about was deeply disturbing I gathered."

Hermione moved away from him, feeling shy and embarrassed at what had happened, and at sitting in his lap in her pajamas.

Severus' eyebrow rose, and he reached forward to take her chin in his hand, gently directing her to look at him. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Hermione. Nightmares get the best of us, particularly those who have seen true terror and not mere monsters in the closet."

She wasn't sure she really wanted to look at him, but allowed him to turn her head. Instead of reproach or laughter in his eyes, Hermione saw concern and understanding.

"You and I are going to have a discussion about these nightmares, Hermione, later today," Severus told her firmly. He expected her to argue and was surprised when she merely nodded her assent.

"Hermy! You having a sleep over with uncle? I wanna come!" Hailey entered the bedroom, diving onto the bed and snuggling between the two adults. She giggled as her uncle and governess both groaned in unison.

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"Married people sleep in beds," Maisie pointed out. "So are you gonna get married yet?"

"No!"

"Is Hermione gonna get a baby like mum cuz you love her?"

"Absolutely not! Don't you know that is not how children are conceived?"

"Huh? What's that mean? You're weird."

"I am not! And no, Hermione is not going to have a baby!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Why because?"

"JUST BECAUSE!"

The little girl glared at her uncle, hands on her hips. "Mum says people only say because when they don't wanna talk about it."

"Isn't your mother brilliant, go ask her."

"I asked you!"

"I AM NOT telling you why Hermione is NOT having a baby! That is your mother's job!"

"Whhhhhy? And why is your face red? And what's sticking out on your neck?"

Severus groaned loudly, pushing his hair back with one hand. "Maisie… I am begging you to ask your mother and not me."

After glaring at him a moment longer, the little girl sighed and ran off. "Mummy! Uncle is cranky and won't tell me why Hermione won't have a baby!"

Severus heard a soft laugh behind him, and he whirled around to glare at Hermione. "And what is so amusing?"

"You! That was one of the funniest conversations I have heard in a long time! You handled that oh-so-well," she smirked.

"Bite your tongue."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well aren't you a happy ray of sunshine?"

Severus continued to glare. "And aren't you an…"

"Insufferable know-it-all?" Hermione finished. "That happens to now be _Miss _Insufferable Know-It-All, thank you very much."

Severus closed the space between them, their bodies just inches apart now. "Cheeky brat."

His tone, deep and sensual, sent a ripple of awareness up and down Hermione's body. Her face flushed and her heart began to beat faster. "And what if I am?"

The corner of Severus' mouth twitched as he fought the urge to smile. "I may have to take steps to correct your cheek."

"Such as?" Hermione challenged.

A slow, rather evil looking grin spread across his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would certainly request you to remember that I am not someone you are required to tame."

Severus leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I have a feeling that any such taming would be mutual."

Just as Hermione was about to respond, shouting was heard from the other room.

"Severus!" Aralyn shouted frantically. "I think it might be time!"

With great regret, Severus turned from Hermione and took off towards the sound of his sister's voice, with Hermione hot on his heels.

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A/N: A bit shorter then originally planned, but this seemed like a good place to break it up! Hope you enjoy the chapter! More coming soon of course!


	9. Chapter 8

Severus looked at his timepiece, frowning. "Too short, too far apart and not nearly strong enough. They eased when you lay down. You are not in labor Aralyn. Honestly; you have three already, can you not tell the difference?"

Aralyn gave her older brother a look of death that would have made him quite proud, had she not been directing it at him. "One: how do you know all that? And two: Until you give birth to an eight pound child, do not even _think _to point out whether I should or should not know something about child birth!"

He glared back at her and opened his mouth to speak; at least until he felt a soft hand cover his mouth!

"Severus, really, look at her," Hermione whispered. "For once, I suggest you let the argument rest as it is. I would not want to mess with her, with that look on her face, sister or no."

Sadly, Severus had to mentally admit that Hermione was correct. It didn't irk him quite as much as it used to, which surprised him, considering she was still a know-it-all!

As Hermione moved her hand away, he turned his head enough to notice a smirk on her face. Figured.

"Baby… baby, you hear me?" Hailey spoke in the direction of her mother's bump, rubbing it at the same time. "You coming yet? Baby come out now!"

Hermione smiled and patted Hailey's hand. "Sweetums, the baby won't come until it's ready to come out. I am sure it hears you though."

Hailey grinned. "That's good. Hermy, do you like babies?"

"Of course I do. Someday I'd like to have some, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

"Just like me?" Hailey's eyes went wide.

Hermione nodded, kissing the soft blonde head. "Yes, just like you and your sisters."

"Who's gonna be the daddy? Babies gotta have a mummy and a daddy. Our baby had one, but he went away," the little girl told her.

"I- I'm not sure yet Hailey," Hermione answered her quietly.

Severus, of course, did not miss a word of this conversation. He had never before thought of Hermione in the context of someone's mother; at least before coming here. Watching her with the girls, he knew she was a natural and would make a wonderful mother, just like his own had been.

_Of course, that is assuming I am willing to have children with Hermione or with anyone. The last thing I would ever wish to do is have a child and be the kind of father that my own was. _Severus mused. _I wonder if I might make a good father, or if I would end up the same way. I do like Aralyn's girls, but they are not mine, I can give them back when they annoy me…_

Hermione looked shyly over at Severus. _Would he ever want children? They were a bit far apart in age, but then wizards lived longer lives so it might not matter. Other then his nieces, did he like children? Would he make a good father?_

"Something on your mind, Hermione?" Severus' voice snapped her out of her thoughts and Hermione could feel her face growing warm. "No, nothing…"

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Several hours later, Aralyn was sleeping peacefully with Severus at her side. Hermione, who then joined Severus at his vigil, sitting quietly for several moments of tense silence, had tucked the girls into bed already.

"Severus?"

"Yes?" Severus looked at her intently.

"I've been having these dreams, these nightmares," she started. "Could we talk about them now?"

After looking at his soundly sleeping sister, Severus nodded.

"A lot of times, I see Harry dying, I re-watch it. Other times, quite often really, I… I see you." Hermione took a deep breath. "I see you, I hear you, I feel you touching me."

Severus gulped, wondering where she was going with this. Would she perhaps be angry that he had not told her before?

"I don't remember much that happened after… after Harry was killed. I remember someone pulling me away and then the next thing is Mrs. Weasley hugging me at Harry's funeral," she continued.

"I think something happened in between those two events, something that I don't quite fully remember for whatever reason, so then I get these flashes. I thought, perhaps since you are in my dreams so often, maybe you could explain things to me."

Severus looked at her for a long moment, noting the pleading look in her eyes. She wanted to know, she had to know, she might only get peace if she knew.

"You wouldn't let go of his body," Snape began. "I had been near you when he fell, and I saw you running over to him. You were beyond hysterical. When it all finally stopped, you were still in hysterics but it was time for him to be… taken so that he could be prepared for a hero's burial."

Hermione swallowed the sobs that rose in her throat, her eyes fixed on him still as he spoke, even when silent hot tears began to fall from her honey colored eyes and rolled down her face.

Severus paused, concerned with her tears. "We do not have to do this Hermione. We can stop if you wish."

She quickly shook her head no, determined to find out the missing pieces of her memory. "Please don't stop," Hermione spoke in a broken whisper.

After a moment he continued. "No one really wanted to pry you away from him, but someone had to, so I did. It was then I realized you were injured, quite severely actually. Mediwitches and wizards were in short supply, because so many people were injured and half-dead.

After determining what your injuries were, I knew I could at least keep you mostly comfortable until a medical person could arrive to take over. I apparated with you to my home, and by then you were unconscious. I put you into bed and gave you potions to help you sleep better and to control your pain."

"H-how long was I at your house?" Hermione asked. She felt cold inside, like ice had spread through her veins instead of blood. Talking about Harry had always affected her that way, but this was more intense then ever before.

Her resolve crumbled in a matter of seconds and she was biting her lip, making it throb, as she tried to stop the sobs that fought to escape.

Seeing her distress, Severus stood and escorted her out of the bedroom and out into the living room sitting her down on the couch. As he sat next to her, Hermione threw his arms around him and began to sob into his shoulder, the force of her pain and tears causing her body to shake.

"It's alright Hermione," Snape whispered, pulling her closer to him. "And it will continue to be alright." He felt his own heart aching along with hers, wanting more then anything to take away her pain and tears.

He then sat in silence, rocking her gently in his arms as her tears fell on his shoulder, soaking his robe. The minutes seemed like hours, and while this wasn't a happy or pleasant task, Severus had no wishes to be anywhere else just then.

Hermione cried herself out of tears, feeling warm and secure in Severus' strong arms, wishing she never had to leave the safety of them. When her tears disappeared she moved a bit away from him, only to find him continuing to hold her close.

"I'm alright now," she told him quietly.

"I know," Severus replied. "However, I do not find holding you to be unpleasant. If you would like me to stop, I will."

She shook her head, resting on his shoulder now. "Go on now, please."

Snape nodded and after a moment to gather his thoughts, he continued.

"I took care of you for a week before a mediwitch came and healed you fully. I don't think I left your side for hardly a moment the whole time. I found I really didn't mind taking care of you as best I could. In fact, it felt good to be needed, to take care of someone. It's rare that I feel that way."

Hermione blushed, feeling like he had given her a most wonderful compliment. "When did I get better?"

"The day before the funeral. You still slept quite a lot, but the day of the funeral I took you there and delivered you to Mrs. Weasley, who was most anxious to take over as caregiver. I presume you remember everything from that point on?" Snape asked.

"Yes, I do. I remember her practically smothering me with her hugging, and everything else I remember. It wasn't until you actually showed up here that I realized it was your voice and face in my dreams. Thank you… for taking such good care of me, especially when you had never really liked me."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You annoyed me, Hermione, as a know-it-all that showed up my Slytherins in every way possible. That is what annoyed me. It was never you as a person, or your intelligence. In fact, I often wished my own Slytherins would try half as hard as you did in your studies."

She looked quite shocked. "Really?"

"Of course! I do not make things up, you know!" Severus stated indignantly. "Besides, I never had any idea that I would someday find myself… attracted to you, as I am now."

Again, she blushed prettily. "Do you regret that you are?"

"Does it look like I do?" He indicated her position on his lap, snuggled against his chest, his arms around her. "Or do you presume that I hold every woman I see this way?"

"I would hope not," she whispered sincerely.

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Is that so?"

Hermione nodded. "You're so different then I used to think when I was a girl. You were so mean and cold. But then, I never did bother to try and look past that. Now I've seen past it, and… and I like what I see."

Severus smiled; it was a very small tight smile, as if he was getting used to doing it after a long time of not. "I like what I see as well, Hermione Granger." His hand gently caressed her cheek.

Seconds later, Hermione lifted her head and her lips met his, the kiss slow and thoughtful at first, then with almost savage intensity.

Her kiss was like soft, velvet whispers against his lips, and her sudden change of intensity aroused Severus greatly. His lips recaptured hers as the kiss began to end; he was not letting her get away, and crushed her lips beneath his, making both of their hearts pound hard and fast.

"I'd like your consent to court you," Severus whispered when they finally pulled their lips away from one another. "After this child is born and Aralyn is settled with him or her."

Hermione almost wanted to laugh at his words, especially the word 'court' like it was regency times. She stopped herself, realizing that that was part of the mystery of Severus. A gentleman, a kind man, hiding beneath the layers of black and the gruff mask he wore to hide his true self.

"You feel you need my consent?" she asked him seriously.

Severus nodded. "We've kissed several times now, each of them enjoyable I assure you," he gave a little cough. "Some kiss anyone when the mood strikes them, it does not always mean anything. I want to make sure I am not misinterpreting things."

Hermione's own eyebrow rose. "Severus Snape, I'll have you know I do not go around kissing just anyone and everyone, especially the way we have kissed! So yes, my answer is of course you have my permission to court me!"

The look of relief that came over his face as the anxiety melted away was truly priceless.

"Did you really think I would say no?" she asked gently.

Severus coughed nervously, his face growing rather red. "Well, I wasn't sure, though I was hoping you would say yes."

Hermione smiled at him, brushing some of his hair away from her face. "You are a very interesting man, Severus… I can't imagine saying no anymore."

As Severus brushed a soft kiss across her forehead, Hermione felt a strange feeling come over her. It was as if there had been a huge hole inside of her that had just been filled for the first time in her life.

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A/N: This took longer to get done then I wanted, but its finally done, yay! Sorry that the baby didn't come in this chapter, LOL but that will come soon I promise! Most likely the next chapter, which will hopefully be up soon! Happy holidays everyone, take care and be safe!


	10. Chapter 9

The much-anticipated baby took longer then expected much to the growing frustration of its mother. "When ARE you coming out?" She demanded of her belly very early the next morning.

Severus chuckled. "When it is good and ready, Aralyn, and not before. Hush and rest while you can, we can not even guess how long it will be, since your contractions have ceased."

"I hate it when you act the know-it-all-older-brother," Aralyn grumbled.

"I know you do; however, I do it so well."

Hermione, sitting beside Severus, laughed softly. "Shall I call you Mr. Know-It-All now Severus?"

The dark haired potion's master turned his head quickly to face the laughing woman beside him, an eyebrow quirking. "I think not."

Hermione continued to laugh and Severus merely rolled his eyes. "Well really, where did you learn all these things?"

"For your information, not that I feel the need to justify my knowledge in any way, I read several books on the subject of child birth as well as midwifery in case Aralyn's baby came faster then the midwife could arrive. Did you honestly expect me to show up to care for my pregnant sister without some knowledge?" He looked as though he were giving a lecture: his narrowed eyes and expressionless face making Hermione laugh once more.

"So sorry Professor!" she teased cheekily. "Now what is this about a midwife? Aren't babies born in a wizard hospital, such as St. Mungo's?"

"In the wizarding world, most children are born at home," Aralyn answered. "With the assistance of a midwife, though it is recommended that husbands or caregivers learn the necessities of acting as midwife should they be needed. There are few midwives, and any number of children born on the same day."

A deeply felt sadness came over Aralyn's face and she sighed longingly. "Adam delivered Hailey. She came far too quickly. By the time the midwife arrived, Hailey was already weighed and measured and ready to be cleaned."

Hermione reached across Severus and took Aralyn's hand in hers, squeezing it gently in an act of support. "I think you are very brave," Hermione told her. "And I think you are a wonderful mother and will continue to be for your new little one."

Aralyn squeezed Hermione's hand back before bursting into tears. "That's so sweet of you!" she sobbed.

Severus groaned under his breath. He was really getting sick of all the crying that went on around this mad house!

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Hermione sat down with the girls at the table for lunch. Each of the little ones, and Hermione as well, were anxious for the baby to arrive.

"Is mum going to eat?" Maisie asked.

"A little later dear, she was sleeping when I was last upstairs," Hermione answered patiently.

"Are we going to have lessons today?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not today Lynessa. Whenever the baby is born we will work on lessons the day after."

"Can we go to the park?"

"No Hailey, we need to stay here today."

"Cuz of the baby?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, because of the baby."

Hailey frowned. "Silly baby, it better hurry up, I wanna go to the park and learn more letters. Hmph."

Almost as if answering Hailey's complaint, Severus shouted from upstairs. "Hermione! I need you up here please!"

Hermione smiled reassuringly at the girls before getting up and hurrying towards Aralyn's room.

Aralyn was sitting up in the bed, slowly drinking a vial of dark liquid.

"It's time Hermione; her contractions are coming closer together and are much stronger. I need you to fire-call Mrs. Weasley-"

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione interrupted, surprise coloring her face.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Can you think of any one else who would be better suited to be a midwife? By the time she had her youngest she could have delivered Ginny herself! Now get moving, no more questions!" He ordered.

She blinked and stood there for a second, before turning and running downstairs to the living room fireplace. Hermione threw a handful of floo powder in the fireplace. "The Burrow!"

A moment later, her face appeared in the Weasley's fireplace. "Mrs. Weasley!" she called anxiously.

"Yes?" Molly Weasley entered her living room. "Oh Hermione, how lovely to hear from you! How are you dear?"

"Um, just fine Mrs. Weasley. Severus told me to call you, because Aralyn Laurent is in labor…" Hermione told her quickly.

"Oh heavens! I'll be right there dear, thank you!"

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True to her word, Molly Weasley disapparated into the Laurent living room a mere four minutes later. "Who is with her dear?" she asked Hermione.

"Severus is, he gave her a potion already but I am not sure what potion it was," Hermione said, leading Molly towards Aralyn's room.

_Severus? Severus Snape? She calls him Severus? My goodness, when did that start? Hmmm _Molly thought. She quickly pushed that aside, as there were more important matters to worry about at the present time.

"You're just in time Mrs. Weasley," Severus commented as the two women entered. He sounded extremely pleased to see her!

Molly turned back to Hermione. "Dear, perhaps you best not be in here, it might frighten you. Why don't you go be with the little ones, hmm?"

Hermione had actually wanted to stay, but knew she was needed with the little girls, who might be upset if left to their own devices; not to mention discover far too many ways to cause mischief!

"Of course," she answered Molly. "I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me." Hermione hoped to catch Severus' eye, but he was busy whispering something over the bed and holding his wand out. She left quietly, shutting the door behind her.

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Three eager yet anxious faces were waiting downstairs for Hermione.

"Is mummy hurting?" Lynessa asked.

Hailey sucked on her thumb. "The baby coming yet?"

"Is mum going to die?"

The last one caused Hermione to stop in her tracks and pull the girls close in a warm embrace. "Of course your mother isn't going to die Maisie! Your mother is very strong and your uncle would never let her die. She and the baby will be just fine."

"Promise?" Their eyes all seemed to start shining with tears at the same time.

"I promise," Hermione said forcefully. She grabbed each child in turn and hugged them tightly, kissing each forehead and tickling each side.

"If mummy dies," Maisie whispered in Hermione's ear. "Can we live with you?"

Hermione hugged Maisie extra tight. "Your mum will not die, but if you ever need a place to come and be or need anything, you can always come to me, alright?"

The dark haired girl nodded, now looking much happier, and rewarded Hermione with a very big hug.

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Six sets of eyes peered into the white bassinet.

"He's tiny."

"Lookie, he's bald!" Hailey giggled.

Maisie rolled her eyes at Hailey. "He has daddy's eyes. What's his name mummy?"

Aralyn smiled at her small, beautiful family. "Adam Severus Laurent."

"Can't we name him something different?"

"Why would we want to name him something else?"

Lynessa shrugged. "I think it'd be funny if we named him Bam-Bam like on the muggle cartoon Hermy has."

Hermione laughed softly. "I don't think he'd like that name very much, sweetums. We better stick with Adam."

As she spoke his name, the baby's eyes opened, allowing him to look at girls surrounding him.

"He knows his name!" Maisie exclaimed.

Hailey gasped, incredibly impressed. "Wow, he's real real smart. When's he gonna talk mummy?"

Aralyn picked up her newborn son, named for both his father and his uncle. "Not for a long time, love. He has a lot of growing to do."

Lynessa nodded. "Look at him, he's puny. He'll have to grow a whole lot!"

"That's what babies do best," Hermione explained. "Grow bigger and bigger and learn all about the world around them."

"Can he come to lessons, Hermy?"

The governess shook her head. "No Hailey, he won't come to lessons until he is a big boy, just like you are a big girl."

Aralyn laughed softly, cradling the tiny new life in her arms. "I think it's time for a family photograph. Hermione, would you mind taking a photo of us? Girls, come sit around me."

Surprisingly the girls were very careful as they climbed onto the bed to sit around their mother.

"Severus," Aralyn called. "You have to come join us; you are part of the family you know."

The dark figure in the doorway of the bedroom shook his head. "I'm not overly fond of photographs."

"Why not?" Hailey wondered. "You're not ugly."

"Oh go sit with your family," Hermione scolded with a laugh. "Nobody but us will see the photograph if you don't like it, so what's the harm?"

Sighing heavily, Severus went over and sat beside his sister, pulling Lynessa to sit on his lap. "I am _not_ smiling…"

"Aww!" Lynessa pouted. "You'll make it icky then! You _have_ to smile Uncle Severus!"

"I do not have to do anything," Severus retorted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Severus! Will you please stop acting like a petulant child and just smile for a few seconds so I can get this photograph? Really, it's not that much to ask! Considering your sister has given birth to a healthy eight-pound baby, surely _you _can manage a smile!"

Aralyn laughed long and hard. "She has you there Severus! She really does! Good job Hermione. Now, be a nice big brother and smile."

Severus' narrowed his eyes at the two rather bossy women, but quickly concluded this was one argument he had no chance of winning. He coughed, then smiled- slowly and tentatively until finally a true smile graced his pale face.

As Hermione snapped the photograph, and two more, she couldn't help but wonder if he smiled because he was thinking of her…

_If only they knew the real reason why I'm smiling is because of the woman behind the camera, _Severus mused. "Are we quite finished yet, Hermione?"

Hailey laughed. "Can I call you uncle crabby, because you're crabby?"

Severus shook his head and tickled her side. "No, you may not call me uncle crabby, little monkey."

Hermione took one last picture, as Severus smiled without even realizing it and Hailey squealed with giggles as he tickled her…

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A/N: I am SO sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. A whole month, I feel terrible! However, the crazy holiday business is over and on the plus side, I've already started the next chapter and promise to have it up by this weekend! Again, I'm really sorry. I love all you readers and reviewers though, thank you so very much!


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Just to remind everyone, I don't own anything except any original characters. I just like to play with them. Also, I'm poor so don't bother suing me. Thanks!

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Severus couldn't sleep and the cloak read just past midnight. He didn't know what was keeping him awake, but he decided a cup of tea wouldn't hurt before resorting to a potion.

As he entered the hall, he could hear the soft cry of a baby. Adam Severus; just the thought of his nephew's name made him swell with pride. Following the sound of the cries, he knocked softly on Aralyn's door.

"Come on in," she called sleepily.

He entered and blushed as he realized his sister was about to breast feed Adam.

"Oh Severus, it's fine," Aralyn chuckled. "It's what happens with babies; they like to eat and eat often. Don't be so embarrassed."

Still blushing a bit, Severus shut the door behind him and went to sit on the end of the bed. "You did very well, Ara," he complimented her quietly. "He is healthy and handsome."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I'm very proud of you."

Aralyn smiled up at him. "Thank you; and thank you for being here with me. It really means a lot to have you here."

Severus waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I cannot say I haven't enjoyed being here. I do plan on staying at least another week."

"For my sake, or to be near Hermione?" She smirked.

"Cheeky girl," he responded. "For you of course!"

"How are things with Hermione? Are you going to take her on a proper date here soon brother? Kissing isn't everything." She couldn't help but chuckle as his face flushed red once more.

"You acquire far too much pleasure from tormenting me, you know," Severus decided. "Things are… well, I would say. She has agreed to allow me to court her, once things are back to semi-normality around here at your zoo."

Aralyn smiled brightly at him. "That's wonderful! Here, do you want to hold Adam?"

Severus' eyes went wide. "No!"

"And just why not?" Her tone was sharp.

"What if I drop him or hold him too tightly?" Severus retorted.

Aralyn rolled her eyes. "Here, you hold him like this." She held Severus position the tiny baby properly, and then smiled. "See, it's not that hard."

He swallowed hard, an uncertainty crept onto his face and he was unable to hide it. Adam opened his eyes and looked at his uncle, his little hand wrapping around Severus' finger. "I cannot do this…"

"You can't hold Adam?"

"No, this…Children, parenting, family…" His voice fell silent as he watched Adam hold onto his finger with a surprisingly good grip for such a tiny being.

"Why ever not?" Aralyn frowned at him. "I think you'd be a good father."

Severus sneered. "No, I wouldn't be. I would be just like our father… I did so many things just to please that horrible man; I ruined my life at his own insistence. I am not sure if I could ever justify the risk of having a child, with the chance that I would turn out to be the kind of man he was."

"Oh stop being an idiot! You could never be like him, ever! Look at you! You are holding a baby, you were right beside me when I gave birth to him. My daughters love you! You have the skills Severus, and you have the heart that gives you those skills! That was something he never had; a heart. You would make a damn good father, if only you'd have a little confidence in yourself.

And there is a woman down the hall from this room who has fallen in love with you and has hopes and dreams of having a family of her own someday! Unless you want to break her heart, you either get used to the idea of a family or you end things now! Hermione and you have both suffered enough in your lives. Give yourself a chance to be happy!"

Severus started at his sister as she lectured and scolded him. He never wanted to hurt Hermione, ever; but how could he start thinking of a family with her when he hadn't even taken her to dinner yet?

Aralyn scowled at him. "You have a lot of thinking to do Severus, and I suggest you get started."

He scowled right back at her, before he stopped and sighed. "Much easier said then done, Ara, but your point is well taken."

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Severus sat in an armchair, watching the most important people in his life sleep. Hermione's chest rose and fell, the worries and cares of the world gone from her face. A white lace bassinet was near the bed. Inside the bassinet was a sleeping baby.

_He approached the bassinet and listened for the baby's breathing, as he had a few dozen times since that morning._

_Again, he watched Hermione sleep, this time sitting on the bed beside her. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for being my everything and giving me happiness I never knew could exist; and for seeing the person inside of me that I never truly knew existed…"_

Severus sat up quickly in his bed just as the day was dawning. It was unusual for him to awake so quickly and have it not be caused by disturbing dreams or some kind of situation calling for his immediate attention.

This time, he certainly hadn't been disturbed. In fact, Severus had been… happy. His dream had made him feel the warm calm of pure happiness.

_Merlin, when did I suddenly start having dreams of a family of my own? What is happening to me? _Severus thought.

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Hermione sat in Aralyn's room in the rocker as her employer nursed the new baby. "Does he make you nervous?" Aralyn asked.

Hermione frowned. "Yes, he does actually. Mostly because I have all these crazy feelings running through me and yet he was the last person I thought I might fall in love with… The electricity between us is absolutely amazing through."

The woman chuckled softly. "I was talking about Adam! You haven't held baby Adam once yet and he's a whole day old now."

Hermione's face flushed bright red and she coughed. "Oh… Well, not nervous exactly. He's just so small!"

"He won't break dear. Even Severus held him."

"Really?" Hermione was shocked; in fact she wished she had seen that!

Aralyn nodded. "He's finished eating, why don't you hold him? It's not that hard, the most important things is-"

"To support the head," she finished, coming closer to Aralyn. Slowly and carefully she picked up Adam, cradling him in her arms. His eyes were partially closed, as if he were trying to decide whether or not to stay awake.

"He's so beautiful."

"Thank you," Aralyn smiled. "So, now for the other question I have: what is happening between you and my brother? I want details!"

Hermione laughed softly and shook her head. "I don't know exactly. He wants to date me and I said he could. When we kiss, it's so… magical. It's like nothing I've ever known before. There are times when he drives me insane, like that whole thing about smiling in the picture yesterday, but I still want to know him better."

"I'd love to call you sister-in-law someday," Aralyn admitted. "I think you and Severus would be very good for each other."

"Let's not make up the wedding invitations yet! I don't even know if he wants children, or what kinds of movies he likes and such!" Hermione laughed. She nuzzled the little baby closer to her, loving how good holding Adam felt. "Do you know if he wants kids?"

Aralyn shrugged. "I don't have a clue really. He's hard to read sometimes, as you know. I think he probably does, secretly, want some children."

"We haven't even had a real date yet. We need more time before I can say, 'Hey do you want to have children with me?' He probably doesn't even think about things like that. Especially if he hasn't any interest in having his own children," Hermione thought out loud.

Aralyn nodded. "Is that very important to you?"

"Oh yes. I know it sounds rather muggle and old-fashioned, but I've always wanted to be a mother. I've always wanted to be brilliant too, but I knew I wanted a family of my own someday. My parents… they were such wonderful people, I miss them; my mother especially. I'd love to be as good a mum as mine was. I don't know if I want a big family or a little one, but…"

Her employer smile, listening intently for several moments as Hermione spoke on about her hopes for the future. Eventually the young governess did run out of breath, and things to say.

Aralyn took Adam from Hermione and laid him in his crib. "You put him right to sleep, he felt comfortable with you."

Hermione smiled. "Aralyn? This is probably a bad time, since you've just had Adam and all…"

"What is it?" Aralyn's eyebrow rose.

"Since Severus is here, if he agrees to stay with you of course, might I have tomorrow off? I have some… some things I need to take care of."

"Is everything alright?"

Hermione nodded quickly. "Yes, everything is fine."

"Well, I don't see a problem with it. Everyone needs a day, and we've all been on-edge the last few days," Aralyn admitted. "You take the day and do something nice for yourself! Go to a spa or something; I do love those muggle spas!"

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A/N: Hmm, what is Hermione up to? And Severus having dreams about having babies with Hermione? LOL! This chapter is short I know, but I promised to have it up by the end of the weekend (cough) and thankfully I had today off of classes! I hope you enjoy it and I will try really hard to have another chapter up soon!


	12. Chapter 11

Severus woke up in a foul mood the next morning. Adam had been crying most of the night, making him far less adorable then he had been when he was born, which had kept the girls awake.

For some strange reason, he also ended up waking up to two small children in his bed, who claimed that his room was the farthest from that of the screaming newborn. Sadly, Severus had to admit they were right; that did not make it any more enjoyable to be woken by pokes, giggles and stuffed animals.

The morning grew progressively worse a short time later when he realized that Hermione was gone for the day. Before breakfast even. He didn't like that one bit. Hermione had been the one bright spot each morning, easily out shining the children and his sister.

"Severus, why are you so growly? I was the one up every few hours nursing!" Aralyn demanded to know during breakfast.

Severus merely glared at her and continued eating.

"He's mad cuz Hermy's gone today!" Hailey announced, feeling quite proud of her knowledge of that fact.

"I am not angry," Severus corrected. "I am being my usual self!"

"Really?" Maisie asked. "I don't think I like your usual self. Can you be your unusual self again?"

"Maisie Laurent, that is rather rude," Aralyn scolded softly. "True, but rude. Say you are sorry."

Maisie arched an eyebrow. "Nope. Not until he stops scowling at me like that."

"Severus, stop scowling at her, she's a little girl."

"I like scowling."

Aralyn glared at him as though her eyes would burn holes through him. "Severus Snape! You are NOT my fifth child, you are my older brother! You stop scowling at my daughter and Maisie you apologize to your uncle and everybody WILL get along, is that understood?"

"Mummy, why are you crabby when Hermy is gone?" Hailey asked.

"She's crabby cuz Adam was eating her all all night," Lynessa responded.

Hailey's eyes grew wide and round. "EATING her? The baby is a can-uh-bib-el!"

Aralyn groaned loudly. "Alright, so Hermione is never having another day off until you are all at Hogwarts!"

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Hermione's morning had started much earlier then the others, and was going much more smoothly as well. She had gotten up with the sun and dressed in her muggle clothes. Her first stop of the day was the local café where she purchased a scone and a very large iced coffee.

After that, she walked quite a ways away from the area, to where there was plenty of open space and nobody around. Double-checking that she was alone, Hermione then disapparated to a place she hadn't been in far too long.

_Ought to be ashamed of myself, _she thought. _I haven't been here in… three years! That's really quite disgraceful. I haven't even brought flowers in that time. Well, no better time then the present to rectify that._

The graveyard itself was a muggle graveyard, right next to an old church. Her parents were there, and both sets of grandparents and her one and only aunt. She located the flower shop a few streets over, a shop and town she knew she well from her childhood.

"Mornin' miss, can I help you?" a young floral worker asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, you can. I'm looking for your most beautiful flowers, the ones that have bloomed and smell quite nicely. I don't care about the cost."

The young girl was a little surprised by the request. "How many miss?"

A short time later, Hermione left the shop with three large bouquets of roses and made her way to the graveyard. _Now exactly where were they again? Really, this is ridiculous, I should be better then this!_

Ten minutes of searching revealed her parents headstones. It seemed like a hundred years since they had been killed; yet the grief was still fresh.

Hermione sat down on the soft grass that grew over their graves and leaned back against the headstones with a soft sigh.

"I wanted to come see you both today," she said softly. Of course, Hermione didn't think her parents heard her; she was far too logical to believe in intangible things such as heaven or hell.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I did. I'm sorry it's been so long since I came. I brought flowers for you both…" She laid the bouquet of white roses over her father's grave and laid the pink roses over her mother's.

She was quiet for what felt like a long time. Somehow being there felt relaxing, soothing, comforting; Hermione wondered briefly if it wasn't her mother's spirit holding her close. For once, her mind did not chase away such an unrealistic idea.

"I'm really enjoying my job," she finally began to talk again. "The girls are so sweet and Aralyn is such a wonderful woman to work for and live with. I've met someone I knew but didn't really know before… Professor Snape. Severus. He's so much different then I ever knew.

"But then, I was just a child at Hogwarts. He was brilliant but rather evil, in a way, back then. Now; now he's so much different. I know that you both knew how close Harry and I were. We were engaged after you were both gone; I know you would have been happy…

But he died too. I guess I always knew deep down that he would. Not the eventually death when he was 173 or something, but at the end, when the end came good or bad. End of the war I mean."

Hermione sighed. "I loved Harry, but Severus is different. He makes me feel alive. Harry did too, but it isn't the same way. I cared so much about Harry; I wanted to do anything for him. Maybe… maybe I said yes because I couldn't stand the thought of breaking his heart when everything and everyone else he has loved in life have been taken from him. Except the Weasleys, they are still around, all of them except Percy. But we never liked him."

"Things are so mixed up right now." The young woman sighed sadly. "I wish you were here to talk with mum. You'd know exactly what to say. You always did. Even when I received my Hogwarts letter, the first thing you said was 'That sounds like such an adventure! Think of all the things you'll learn'. I guess I never realized how wise you really were mum until now.

"Sometimes I think how I should have been there to protect you and dad. I guess I never thought someone would want to hurt me like that. Yes, yes, I knew he was evil and had killed Harry's parents. There was a reason for that though! There was no logical reason to you both being killed by them. You both didn't even stand a chance!"

Tears filled her eyes and with a shuddering breath they began to fall slowly and silently. "I should have gotten a secret keeper for you both, or made you go on an extended vacation somewhere. I would have, if only I had thought I needed to do that. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! You might have stood a chance if I had stopped to think of the dangers!"

Hermione's heart pounded in her chest as the tears of guilt and sorrow trailed down her face and fell onto the green grass that covered their graves. "IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" she shouted up at the sky.

_Nobody ever promised that life would be fair; and if someone did, they were a bold-faced liar… _She could almost hear inside her head Severus saying those words to her. She knew they were the truth, but it didn't make the life left to her any easier.

"I wanted you both to be here," Hermione continued, ignoring her tears. "To see me graduate and get married and have children. I wanted you to tell me what it was like the morning of your wedding, how nervous you both were, so that I would feel better the morning of mine."

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After spending the better part of three hours with her parents, Hermione decided it was time to move on. She whispered her goodbyes to both headstones and secretly charmed the flowers she had brought so that they would last for a month before fading. Maybe before they faded, she'd bring more.

Her stomach growled rather loudly, reminding her of the little breakfast she had earlier with her coffee. _Alright, something to eat and then I'll buy a few books to cheer myself up before going to see Harry._

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Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. "Alright, what time did Hermione say she'd be back? Any indication? I think that woman needs a serious raise Aralyn…"

Aralyn coughed before outright laughing. "And you, dear brother, are a teacher? I feel very fortunate to have never been in your class."

"Let's play school! I can be teacher," Lynessa decided.

"No, let's not; let's play quiet time instead."

"What's that?"

Maisie poked her younger sister. "It means he wants to try and trick us into staying quiet for a really really long time."

"Hey, that's not nice!" Lynessa accused her uncle.

"You, child, are entirely too smart for your own good; or for my own good, depending upon how you look at it," Severus told Maisie.

"Hermione says it's good and important to be smart." The young girl pointed out.

Severus groaned. "Yes, she would say that, wouldn't she?"

"Part of your problem, Severus, is that you don't have enough experience with younger children," Aralyn told him. "What will you do when you are a father some day?"

_Kill myself, _he thought with a frown. "Alright, do you lot take naps around here? If so, then it's nap time."

All three girls frowned at him and then looked towards their mother, who chuckled. "Go play outside girls, just try not to hurt each other and remember to share."

"There are times when you are so good with them," Aralyn commented. "And other times when you act like you are the only English person amid a tribe of aborigines."

Severus looked at his sister and cocked his eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that I am not?" He then ducked to avoid the pillow that was thrown directly at his head.

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Toting her bag, another iced coffee and the bouquet of flowers, Hermione slowly approached the graves. Harry Potter had, of course, been buried beside his parents. More exactly he had been buried on his mother's right side.

A massive monument to the extinct Potter family had been erected over the three graves once Harry had been buried. It was quite daunting actually, large and looming and full of doom and sadness. There was just no other way to describe it.

It cast a shadow over the graves; when Hermione sat down, the shadow engulfed her as well. She had heard of the monument, but had never seen it herself. Ron had told her all about it, and so had Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione had never seen it because she had not been to see Harry's grave since the day of the funeral.

_It's so beautiful and sad… _She thought. Her finger traced the various things cut into the stone. The names, the dates; the Hogwarts shield and a golden snitch above Harry, the doves above his parents. Somehow a picture of each of them had been super-imposed above the dates of birth and death.

_Hero… The boy who saved the wizarding world… A family of heroes. _ Hermione sighed sadly; Harry had always hated being called "the Boy Who Lived" and now, even though it was the truth, a similar statement was carved into the monument.

"Hi Harry," she whispered, setting the flowers up against the monument. "I wish you could see this memorial to you and your parents, I think you really would have liked it for the most part. I'm rather ashamed to say I had no part whatsoever in its creation, and in retrospect I wish I had.

"I know this is the first time I've come to visit you, which makes this even harder. I'm here to say goodbye to you Harry. I never had the chance to say goodbye to you before you died, and so in a way I've clung on to you longer then I should have.

"I won't ever forget you; I could never do that even if I wanted too! I won't regret loving you either. You will always have a place in my heart. It's been a long time though, and I've finally realized I need to… to let you go, say goodbye.

"I don't want to be shriveled old maid who looks back on her life and can only mourn the loss and loneliness. I don't think you'd want that anyway. You always wanted me to be happy, that's just how you were.

"I suppose you've got the right to know who made me change my mind about becoming a shriveled old maid. You'll never believe it, and if you were here you'd probably think I was dying of some strange illness. It's actually Professor Snape, Severus Snape himself."

Though there were tears in her eyes, Hermione couldn't help but laugh as she imagined what Harry's reaction would have been.

"Not that I am here to say I'm going to forget you and go off and be married tomorrow or something. Someday I'd like to be married and have a family of course. I'm also not saying that I am marrying Severus, because I couldn't possibly say something like that just now. I also can't say that it would never happen.

"I don't even want to think of Ron's reaction when he finds out that Severus and I are going to date. He was always the hotter tempered of our group! Must be that red hair… Although I myself have done a fair amount of questioning as to my own sanity lately!"

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"It's dark and it's raining! She's been gone the whole day! What could she possibly be doing?" Severus paced the living room as Aralyn rested on the couch.

"Severus, I don't know. She's a very intelligent girl, I'm sure she is just fine. You aren't her mother, so stop acting like a nervous mother." Aralyn shook her head at him.

"Well really, she's been gone for an extremely long amount of time and I am concerned that perhaps she is having some sort of difficulty getting back here! Will you STOP smirking at me?" He growled in response.

Aralyn waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Well if you are really so concerned Severus, just go look for her already!"

"Excellent idea." He grabbed his cloak from by the door.

"I was kidding! You don't even know where she is or where she might be!" Aralyn exclaimed. "And it's raining!"

Her words fell on deaf ears as the front door closed and Severus disapparated away.

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A/N: I am SO sorry it took so long to update! School has been driving me out of my mind; I've been working my butt off LOL. I hope the chapter makes up for the long time it took me to get it up. Be patient with me, I promise I'll update again as soon as I can!


	13. Chapter 12

"Mum, someone's banging on the door!" Ginny called out to her mother. "I can't see who it is!"

Molly Weasley shook her head and hurried over to the door. "Severus! Goodness, its pouring rain, come inside at once and get dry!"

"Professor SNAPE?" Ginny shouted.

Severus' eyebrow rose and he looked towards the shouting red-headed young woman. "And hello to you as well, Miss Weasley… Forgive me, its Mrs. Longbottom now isn't it?"

Ginny sat there with her mouth hanging open for a moment.

"Yes, yes it is now," Molly beamed. "And they're expecting already!"

"Mum!" Ginny shrieked. "You do not have to tell Professor Snape that!"

Severus smirked. "Well, congratulations. Extend that to your husband as well, if you please. Now, I am actually here on some rather urgent business…"

"Oh?" Molly performed a drying spell on Severus and practically shoved him into the living room. "Sit down! Do you want some tea?"

"No, I do not have the time. You see, Hermione has been gone the entire day and has not yet returned. I… my sister's family… is quite worried. I have a feeling she went to see her parents' graves. At first I thought she might have visited Potter's gra…"

"Harry," Ginny interrupted firmly. "Harry; not Potter."

Severus coughed. "Force of habit; I've been a teacher for longer then you've been alive. Do either of you have any idea where Hermione's parents are buried?"

"Sure," Ginny nodded. "Why are you so concerned though?"

Molly gave her only daughter a look. "Oooh." Ginny responded and grinned. "Anyway, it's in this little town…"

"Snape? Bloody hell!" Ron Weasley exclaimed as he came through the fireplace just as Ginny finished giving directions.

"Ronald Weasley! Watch your language!" Molly scolded.

_This family is serious the poster child for contraceptive potions… If Hermione thinks she wants seven children, she's out of her mind; I am not having seven children… _The change in his thoughts didn't even register as Severs hurried to leave.

"Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom…"

"Ginny…" Ginny interrupted.

Severus sighed. "Alright, Ginny it is. I'm going to go look for her now." He inclined his head towards Molly and left out the front door.

"Bloody hell! What is he talking about? What was he doing here? Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed as Snape made his quick exit.

"He's looking for Hermione, she's been gone all day from her job and he's worried," Ginny responded calmly.

"HERMIONE? BLOODY HELL!"

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Nearly thirty minutes of time he could have spent searching for Hermione was wasted, thanks to answering the multitude of questions from the Weasley clan.

It had been unavoidable however, as no one knew Hermione as well as the Weasley family did. In fact, after her parents' death, they took her into their home for her last year of Hogwarts.

Severus had a sneaking suspicion of where she might be. Having already checked Potter's grave and not finding her there, he had a feeling she was at her parents' graves. The only problem was he had not known where they were buried.

He understood why she might feel the need to go visit there; but doing so in the dark and in the rain all alone in a cemetery was really beyond him. In fact, the thought of her doing just that made him quite angry.

When he had stalked far enough away from the Burrow, Severus apparated to the cemetery the Weasleys had directed him too. The only problem that he was presented with now was to figure out which of the many plots were the ones belonging to the Grangers; this meant he would have to search every one of them before eliminating this place as where Hermione might be!

Starting at one end he worked his way through. Finally he spotted a lone figure slumped against a headstone; his heart began to pound inside his chest. He ran to the figure and felt relief was over him when he realized it was indeed Hermione.

Hermione's eyelids fluttered open and then closed as he carefully pulled her up. She let out a soft moan.

"Hermione!" Severus called her name loudly. "Hermione! Are you able to hear me?"

She moaned again, beginning to blink the sleep away from her eyes. "What? I'm really cold," Hermione whimpered. She grabbed a hold of Severus, as if he were some vast source of heat, and clung to him, her slight body shivering against him.

"I'm not at all surprised," Severus responded dryly. "You've been sitting in the rain for who knows how long." He scooped her up in his arms and started off away from the graves, both annoyed and worried.

"What were you thinking? I thought you were smarter then this!"

"My books!" she said slowly, reaching back towards a bag on the ground. "And I am smart! I--I don't know what happened! Oh no, I bet they're ruined now!"

Growling, Severus turned back and snatched up the bag of books. "The books do _not _matter right now. _You_ matter!" He stopped and looked around to see if anyone was watching. When he was certain that they weren't being watched by any muggles, he disapparated with a pop; a moment later they appeared in the Laurent's front yard.

Hermione sneezed and buried her face against Severus' heavy robes as he carried her into the house.

"Is she alright?" Aralyn asked, hurrying over to them. "Well, is she? Why are you carrying her?"

"If you want answers, follow me," Severus instructed, carrying Hermione off to her bedroom. "She's soaking wet; she fell asleep in a graveyard in the rain!"

"Not so loud," Aralyn scolded. "Please don't get the girls excited. Let's get her warm and dry. Do you need my help?"

Severus set Hermione down on her feet, holding her arms still to keep the young woman steady.

"No, I can use a drying spell and change," Hermione assured Aralyn. "Sorry to have worried you. Sleeping in the rain certainly wasn't planned!"

"Of course it wasn't," Aralyn agreed. "If you need my help with something that you'd prefer Severus not do, just send him for me, alright? And Severus, let's allow Hermione to change by herself."

Severus hovered over Hermione for a moment, then reluctantly left, closing the door behind him. "I can't imagine what she was thinking." He grumbled as he stood right by the door.

"I highly doubt she purposely decided to sleep in a graveyard in the rain, Severus," Aralyn told him gently. "I can only imagine what caused her to do so. No shouting please." With a stern look, Aralyn then headed back downstairs.

They left Hermione alone in her room, shutting the door behind them. Pulling her wand out, she quickly used a drying spell on her clothes, body and hair. She then peeled off the clothes and dumped them into the dirty laundry hamper.

She pulled out a long flannel nightgown, the perfect kind for curling up in when you were cold and practically dived under the covers of her bed. _At least he didn't insist on dressing me himself! I was beginning to wonder_, she thought to herself.

Outside, Severus paced, waiting. He rarely had any patience to begin with, but this time he had less then usual. He was very worried about her and very angry with her as well! Finally he couldn't stand waiting anymore and knocked on her door, calling her name. "Hermione?"

She was just about to answer when he opened the door anyway. She almost giggled at how upset he seemed to be, but thought better of it. "Hello," Hermione greeted with a sniffle. All that was visible of her was her head, the rest buried under the covers.

He came to her quickly, looking so worried. "How are you? How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Some hot soup perhaps?"

Hermione's eyes widened at the out pouring of questions about her comfort and needs, feeling badly for making him so obviously worried about her. "Hot soup sounds good," she decided. After a pause she added, "Are you going to yell at me?"

Severus chose to ignore her question momentarily, conjuring a tray with hot chicken noodle soup, crackers and a cup of hot tea. "Sit up," he requested. When she did so, he placed the tray in front of her.

"There will be a time and place for yelling, among other things, later," he finally answered her.

Hermione gave him a strange look, but his face was unreadable. "Yum smells good!" She quickly added, beginning to eat her soup. It quickly became apparent that he wasn't going anywhere. "Are you going to stand there and watch me eat? And did you get my books?"

"No. I am going to sit here and watch you eat." He said as he got a chair and drug it close to her bed. "And yes, I got your books."

"Make yourself at home," she quipped. "Um..." Hermione sipped her tea, feeling nervous under his watchful and concerned gaze. "Thank you for coming to get me. I'm sorry you had to be out in the rain."

Severus said nothing for a long moment, watching her intently. It amused him when she became to squirm slightly under his gaze. "Why, may I ask, were you out for so long and why did you fall asleep in a graveyard?"

"I was out because I had some things I needed to do. Or rather, things I needed to say." Hermione was surprised to feel no nervous butterflies as she told him these personal things.

"I needed to say some goodbyes. They are never very easy to say, especially when those you are saying goodbye to have already gone. I guess... I guess I just wore out from... everything." She concentrated on eating her soup and crackers, rather then looking at him.

"I see." He replied in a dry tone, his eyebrow raised. He shook his head. There were a lot of things he wanted to say right now, but he held himself in check. It could wait until tomorrow, when she was rested. But there was one thing he did need to say.

"The next time you plan on going out, it would be helpful if you told me or my sister where you will be, in case of an emergency. I had to waste time with the Weasleys, asking where your parents' graves were, before I could come get you. If I could have skipped that step, you probably wouldn't have been caught in the rain or at least not caught in it as long as you were."

"I'm sorry. It was personal and I don't always like sharing personal things. Surely you can understand that." This time, Hermione did look at him.

"Yes, I can. But surely you can understand how important it is for at least one person to know where you are in case of an emergency. It is only fair to you and to those that care for you."

"Well I wasn't exactly planning on being caught in the rain," Hermione reminded him. "I had planned to be home before dark." She sighed, and then sneezed again. "Great, I'm likely getting sick. But no matter how it happened or how it should have happened... Thank you."

Her face grew flushed and she paused before speaking again. "It... it means a lot to me that... that you came after me."

"Yes I know you were not planning in being caught in the rain." He said, ignoring her other words. "What happened falls under the category of an emergency. And of course I came after you. After all, I am one of the people that cares for you!" Severus paused, silently swearing. He had not meant to say that, actually.

Hermione's face grew even more flushed with his words. "I don't quite know what to say. Except that I care about you too. You and...and how much I care about you, were my whole reason for today in fact..." Her voice trailed off into a near whisper.

Severus gazed at her, curiously. "Truly? How so?"

"It was time to say goodbye," she whispered. She tore her eyes away from him, looking down as a few hot tears fell from her eyes to be quickly brushed away.

"To Potter, you mean?"

"Yes."

He was quiet for a long moment. "I'm sorry, Hermione." He said, hating to see her cry. "Do you regret saying good-bye?"

Hermione quickly shook her head no. "It was time to do it. I didn't want my clinging to the past to... ruin something else that might come along." She looked at him when she said this, looking into Severus' eyes.

He relaxed, and the relieved look on his face made her smile inwardly. "I see," Severus said, shifting uncomfortably. He really didn't know what else to say. Her response pleased him greatly. "That's good." He finally added.

Hermione pushed the near empty tray away. "I don't feel very well," she commented, starting to shiver again.

Severus stood quickly and frowned, leaning over to feel her forehead. "You're burning up." He said, and hurried to his room to fetch a small bottle. He brought it back to her quickly.

"Here, drink this." He ordered all business again.

She resisted the urge to pout at his sudden change in demeanor, and of course took the potion. "Thank you." Hermione continued to shiver and reached out to grab his hand as he took back the bottle. "Will you stay with me? Just until I feel better and fall asleep?"

"Yes, of course. Can I get you anything else?"

"No; just stay. It's been a difficult day," she admitted, looking like she might cry again.

This time he sat down on the bed beside her. "I know," Severus said very softly. "Mine has not been all that well here, either. Everyone missed you terribly. The girls hated that you were gone. Aralyn has vowed never to give you another day off." He kind of smiled here, which was a rare and wonderful thing to see.

Hermione smiled softly. "I really like it when you smile. Does everyone include you?" She shifted her position slightly to lean against him, not feeling well making her feel needier then usual.

"Yes. I was the first on the list, I believe. Though I imagine our girls would beg to differ."

"Our girls?" she smirked slightly at that. "They really do love you, you know. You're very good with them when you want to be." Hermione's heart raced as he slowly put his arm around her shoulders. "Is that potion supposed to make me feel sleepy?"

"Are you feeling sleepy?"

"My eyes are getting heavy again. At least I won't fall asleep in the rain this time." Though Hermione could have just shooed him away and fallen asleep, she chose not too, feeling comfortable right where she was. "I'm not keeping you from anything, right?"

"No," Severus answered her quickly. "I'm right where I want to be, doing just what I want to do."

"Really?" she whispered her eyes wide.

"Yes, really. Now lie back and close your eyes. You need your rest," he ordered sternly.

She frowned ever so slightly, as if she might protest. Instead, Hermione did exactly as he asked: she closed her eyes and soon fell fast asleep against him.

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A/N: Another chapter coming very soon, I promise! Thank you to all my reviewers!


	14. Chapter 13

When Hermione opened her eyes again it was late in the morning, and Severus was sitting in the chair by her bed, with a book in his hand that he obviously wasn't very interested in at the moment.

Severus had re-read one page at least fifty times in the past hour or so as he kept an eye on Hermione. When she finally woke he closed the book and put it aside, smiling at her. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Hermione responded by yawning and stretching, looking very refreshed. "I'm alright and good morning to you, too." She returned his smile with a beautiful one of her own. "What time is it? And why are you in here reading?"

"Well, I wasn't reading actually," Severus admitted. "I was trying to fool myself into thinking that I could read while I sat with you, but I was clearly wrong. Apparently when I am around you, there is nothing else I can do but look at you."

Her eyes flew wide and her face grew red from his sincere flattery. Hermione shifted her gaze to look at her hands. "Thank you," she whispered, clearly embarrassed. "H-how are you this morning?"

"I'm well, considering. I was required to fight off three certain little girls the vast majority of the morning. They wanted to come in and see you, which was fine, but then they wanted to jump up and down on the bed to awaken you, which was not fine." Severus smiled and shook his head as Hermione laughed softly.

"I can completely imagine that. How lucky you are to have survived! They are quite persuasive when they set their minds to it."

"Yes, but so am I." He studied her intently, then stood up and felt her forehead and cheeks with his hand. "Your fever seems to be gone. You are quite sure you're feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm sure, thank you." Hermione felt both unsettled and yet delighted by the way he gently touched her, and the worry she saw in his face.

"Good!" Severus decided. "Then I suppose you'd like something to eat?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not especially hungry. Maybe I'll wait and have brunch in a bit." She could tell by the way he frowned down at her that he was not especially pleased with her answer.

"Are you sure? It would be a good idea to eat something," Severus persisted.

"I'm sure," she assured him after looking at her clock. "I'll start making lunch in an hour anyway, and I'm not a big eater in the mornings."

"No, you will not start making lunch," he informed her very firmly. "I will make it and you will rest."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't need to rest. Besides, I need to have lessons with the girls after lunch. I'm fine Severus, I promise." She got up out of bed, looking at him expectantly.

"Did you catch deafness along with your fever last night Hermione?" Severus was clearly growing annoyed with her. "I said you are resting. All activities for the day are cancelled. Is that quite clear?"

"I do believe I need to remind _you _who is the teacher around here, and it is _not _you, Severus Snape! This is not Hogwarts and I am not your student. _I _am the teacher here and if I say we're having lessons today, we are having lessons."

She glared at him as he spoke. It was lovely him being all caring and concerned, but it was another thing entirely for him to be telling her what she would be doing and what she wouldn't be doing!

Severus' eyes flared. "This is the _last _time I will say this, Hermione Granger. Today you are resting. Tomorrow, you can do as you please, as long as it does not involve going out again. If you argue with me further, you will wish you hadn't!"

He stepped towards her, looking rather furious. Obviously, he would not be backing down. Then, neither was Hermione.

Her own temper flared and she put her hands on her hips, looking him straight in the eye. "I'll have you know, Severus Snape, that I survived a war and will most certainly survive a fever! A fever which is no longer present! I will do _exactly _as I please today, and that is to continue lessons. They have been interrupted enough the past several days. I have a job to do, you know; I am not just a guest here!"

"And I am certain my sister will understand and insist that you take another day off! Now get back into bed! We have something to discuss anyway," Severus retorted.

"Oh? And what exactly is it we need to discuss?"

"Your foolish actions yesterday, that is what," he growled. Seeing as Hermione was not moving fast enough, or rather at all, Severus stalked towards her and picked her up. He carried her to the bed and placed her on it.

"Do _not _get up from that bed!" he warned her angrily.

Hermione scowled at him and sighed. "It was a complete accident Severus, as I already explained last night. I was very drained; it was a very emotional day. I've already thanked you for coming after me, so I do not know why you are harping on this."

Severus stared at her for a moment. "Did you seriously just ask me that? You fell asleep _in the rain in a grave yard,_" he growled out the last bit. "Completely alone! Why would you push yourself to stay out until you were as exhausted as that? It makes absolutely no sense. If I didn't know you, I would have trouble believing you are as smart as I know you to be!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, continuing to scowl. "I didn't realize how emotional it would be. My parents died because of me, Severus, _me. _I said goodbye to the man that I watched die, that I loved and was going to marry because I want to move on and I want to move on with _you! _Which I couldn't do until I said goodbye! Forgive me for being a human being who suffers from bouts of emotional break down."

"Don't you shout at me!" Severus shouted in reply. "It is fine to be upset and sad, but it is quite another to be so idiotic, thoughtless and careless!"

Thankfully for them both, Aralyn and the children were outside just then and not overhearing their rather intense argument.

Severus began pacing the room as he continued to shout at her. "You were gone so long and you worried everyone very, very much! You could have at least called from a telephone. I am _so _furious with you Hermione Granger! You are stubborn, childish and completely thoughtless."

Hermione burst into tears at his ranting and rather insulting way of pointing out the obvious. "I am not, don't say that!"

"Even though Aralyn did not show it, she was very worried about you," he continued his blistering lecture. "As were the girls. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for upsetting them like that!

"I didn't mean too," Hermione said through her tears. "I really didn't! I'm sorry!"

Severus moved towards her, where she sat sobbing on the bed and took her by the shoulders. "Are you? Are you truly sorry? Are you _ever _going to be so foolish again?" He gave her a slight shake, more to startle her then anything else.

He watched her nod at being sorry and shake her head no at being foolish. He then took her into his arms, holding her very tightly as she cried. Any anger left inside of him evaporated as he held her and pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the bed.

Severus' hand automatically began stroking her hair as Hermione buried her face against his broad shoulder. He truly had no idea what to say now, since it was he who had made her so upset, so he let his comforting actions speak silently.

Just when he was starting to wonder if her tears would ever stop, they did indeed slow to sniffles until disappearing entirely. "I've never seen you so angry before," Hermione whispered, still nestled against him.

"That would be because I have never been that angry with you before, of course," Severus told her gently. He continued to stroke her hair, soaking up the warm feeling of holding her and comforting her.

"And I don't think I've ever been so scared…"

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "Don't be silly. You've been through a war; two wars actually. How can something be scarier then that?"

Her heart began to beat fast inside her chest; pounding and pounding so loud she was sure he would hear it! Could it be…?

Severus sighed, and a touch of color came to his cheeks. For the longest time he said nothing, and Hermione thought he wasn't going to answer the question. She was just preparing herself for that when he finally spoke.

"I was scared because…because…I am so in love with you, Hermione Jane Granger." He admitted, and looked in her eyes when he said this.

"You are?" she whispered, a few tears sliding down her pale face. "Are you sure?"

When he nodded, Hermione's whole world seemed to be absolutely perfect. "I'm in love with you too," Hermione whispered, reaching up to run her hand through his hair.

He looked just as shocked as she had been when he announced his love for her. Severus studied her, finding it hard to believe that someone like her could love someone like him. But as she gazed up at him with those beautiful eyes…he could see they were really filled with love.

His eyes closed as emotions swept over him like an ocean wave, and when he opened them again he still saw that love. "You do? I mean, you are? In love with me?" Severus had to ask, just to confirm it, just to make sure he was not dreaming or perhaps intoxicated.

Hermione nodded, her hand still running through his hair. "Yes, I am. I am... madly, overwhelmingly, surprisingly, completely, absolutely in love with you, Severus Snape." Warmth and happiness flooded through her body, and she responded by kissing Severus in a way she had never kissed anyone before.

The passion and tension exploded as their lips met, their bodies pressed tight together in a passion filled embrace. She leaned her head back and let his lips crush her own, her heart jolting and pulse pounding until they pulled breathlessly away from each other.

They stared at each other then, breathing hard and heavy. Now Severus really didn't know what to say! "I'm glad…" he said finally, the words sounding rather pitiful to his ears. All he wanted to do was sit there with her in his arms and drink in her beauty.

"Me too," she said with a soft laugh. Hermione then turned serious. "I'm sorry I scared you so much. I'll have to get used to someone worrying about me again."

"Yes. Yes you most certainly will." Severus growled, then smiled and kissed her again.

"We'll have to eventually leave this room," Hermione stated. "But maybe, a day next week, you could finally start 'courting' me."

Severus blinked disappointment in his eyes. _She's not ready right now. I'll have to respect that, and agree_. "Of course." He replied.

"Why do you look so sad?" Hermione asked gently. "I think after worrying your sister last night and from what sounds like a very difficult day for you yesterday with the girls, that we owe them a week of normality before we leave them without either of us."

_Thank Merlin! So she doesn't need to wait after all; I do not think I could have managed that, no matter how good my intentions might be. _"Ah, I see. I suppose I haven't given leaving much thought, actually. Courting or not."

Hermione leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. "I'd let you take me away today, if I could. I don't think your sister is ready for us both to be gone quite yet. Adam isn't even a week old. That doesn't mean, though, that we can't spend time together until then. I merely meant leaving them all for an entire evening." She hoped that made him feel better; she never would have thought Severus to be so disappointed by them having to wait for a first date!

Severus did look happier at that, even giving her a soft smile. "Very well; I suppose I can live with that."

"I think Aralyn might murder us both if we don't," Hermione laughed. "I love it when you smile, Severus. Try and smile more often, just for me, please?"

Again color touched his cheeks. "You are the only reason I've been smiling these past few weeks."

"You've smiled for the girls," she pointed out gently. "But it's not the same, is it?"

Severus shook his head. "No. Not at all."

This time it was Hermione's turn to blush. "Severus?"

"Yes?"

"There isn't some terrible creature after you that will only be dead when you are dead too, is there?"

He gave her the oddest look, then smiled and shook his head. "If there is, I do not know of it." He replied.

"Just checking," she replied. "And you _do_ realize that by dating me, you are practically dating a member of the Weasley family, right? Are you prepared for that?"

Try as he might not too, Severus cringed visibly. "I will do the best I can when around them. Only for you would I do this. But still, I cannot promise anything."

Hermione laughed. "They really aren't that bad, I promise! Most of them are married now anyway!" She then sobered and took a deep breath. "They're the only family I have Severus, and they mean a lot to me.

Will you really do your best? I'll protect you," she offered. "But to love me is to love my family. Not that you _have_ to love them of course, but I want you to at least be able to tolerate them! Thankfully, I have already met and absolutely adore your family."

"Yes, I will do my best to tolerate them. That is the one and only thing I can promise regarding them. One thing though. We aren't living with them! _Ever_!"

Hermione just stared at him for a moment, before bursting out laughing. "Oh good lord, of _course_ not! I'd rather live in a box then be living with them while married or in a relationship or what have you! Trust me, not going to happen Severus.

Besides, other then living with you here, since this is your family and my place of employment, I have no plans to live with you until we become very serious. It may sound prudish, but I'd rather not live with a man before marrying him."

Severus relaxed completely at her assurances. "Good. That makes me feel better. And of course we will not live together unless we are married. I'm glad you feel the same way."

"I'm glad you to do. That makes me feel very relieved! I've probably got morals that are far too high, but they've worked for me so far. My parents raised me well, and I can't say Molly and Arthur have ruined any of that either. I suspected you felt the same as I did. You've been very gentlemanly, Severus, and that's very attractive." Hermione blushed again.

They kissed again, and then sat there for a few more minutes, enjoying each other, before Severus sighed. "Well, I suppose we better got back to the world. I'm sure they're all wondering how you are, and what's going on."

Hermione nodded. "Very likely. Your nieces are extremely curious and bright little girls. I enjoy every moment with them, and I admit I missed them yesterday. If you would just step out for a few minutes so I can get dressed..."

A mischievous grin appeared. "Must I?" He teased.

Hermione's mouth opened to form an O shape before laughing. "Yes, you must! Immediately sir! And try to detain your nieces from opening the door, will you?"

He laughed as well. "I'll do my best. Though if one should accidentally open the door a bit, it might prove helpful to me." He added, that wicked gleam in his eyes.

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A/N: Yay, another chapter done! Yay! Let's all dance! LOL I hope you all enjoy it, I very much enjoyed writing it (wait, I always enjoy writing this story!). Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 14

Severus paced the living room of his sister's home; three little girls paced along side him, following his movement. Aralyn sat in the rocker, rocking two-week-old baby Adam to sleep.

"Must women take so long to prepare for an evening out?" he complained under his breath.

"Men are all alike," Aralyn stated. "You all complain about how long we take to get ready, and yet you are all very glad at the final result of the wait!"

Severus merely frowned, admitting silently that his sister was right.

"Don't you want Hermy to be very pretty?" Hailey asked him.

"She is already very pretty, she doesn't need to do anything else," he informed the little imp.

"Thank you, kind sir," Hermione called softly from the stairs. "However, I hope you don't find my changes to your disliking."

Severus whirled around at the sound of her voice, and the sight of her took his breath away. She stood there in a white skirt and blue blouse that hung off her shoulders. Her hair was long and flowing and a light seemed to radiate from her face.

He cleared his throat. "You look lovely."

Hermione blushed prettily and went down the last few stairs. "Thank you. I'm ready if you are Severus."

Severus nodded and took her hand. "We'll be back late, don't wait up Ara. Be good to your mother, girls!" As he and Hermione left the house, they could see the three girls waving from the window.

"You've been very mysterious," Hermione told him. "Not telling me where we are going or what we are doing."

"Do you not like surprises? I like to give surprises, but hate them myself."

"Really? I'll have to plan a surprise then for our next date," she teased, waving back at the little girls.

Severus raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response. "Come, let's apparate before the monkeys come running after us to ask if they can join us!"

Hermione laughed, the sound of it music to his ears, and to his heart. "Sounds like a good idea."

Severus pulled Hermione close, wrapping his arms around her, and a moment later they appeared on a deserted road near a little town.

"I can apparate on my own," Hermione told him with a smile.

Severus' eyes twinkled. "Now what would be the fun in that?"

She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. "Severus Snape, I wouldn't believe half the things that have come out of your mouth this summer if I hadn't heard them for myself!"

He smirked; how could he not? "I do enjoy shocking people on occasion, along with terrorizing and mocking."

Hermione smiled in response. "Yes, yes, the big bad professor with the sarcastic bite. Trust me, I know all about that."

Severus said nothing in response. Instead, he took her hand and began walking with her in the direction of the little town.

Poor Hermione was left wondering what in the world they were doing in a practically middle of nowhere muggle town. At least until Severus guided her in the direction of a small restaurant with low lighting and the sound of music drifting out from the inside.

"Where exactly are we Severus?"

Her gentleman escort smiled softly and squeezed her hand. "Haven't you ever been to a café, Hermione? Or more precisely, a jazz café?"

Hermione returned his smile, her face lighting up. "You like jazz? I _love _jazz! My favorite is Ella Fitzgerald, she was an American muggle and…"

"I know exactly who she is, and I am a fan of hers as well. Now, if you please…" Severus let go of her hand and opened the door of the café, holding it open. "Ladies first."

He watched her face blush prettily, though he was not exactly sure why it did. Perhaps he was the first man to ever treat her like a lady and be an actual gentleman. As he reflected momentarily on her friends, that seemed more and more likely.

Hermione entered the café, smelling the familiar scent of coffee that could be found at nearly any such place. Severus followed behind her, then along side her, placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her to a table.

The table was in a bit of a corner; the performers were still visible and you could still signal the waiter or waitress, but it afforded a bit of privacy for intimate conversations.

"This place is lovely," Hermione said as she looked around. Candles on every table, the lights that were on were low, and the music was just loud enough to heard and enjoyed and not drowned out talking.

"I'm glad. I was unsure where a good first date would take place. This was the first public place I thought of that I knew I myself would be comfortable in," Severus explained.

"I don't know why you don't like being out in public Severus. You make a good conversationalist, truly."

Severus snorted softly. "Not especially. And it's even harder in the muggle world where you cannot speak about things a person like you and I normally would. All that aside, I am not what you would call a 'people person', whatsoever."

"Will, you are my kind of person, if that is any sort of comfort," she offered with a shy smile.

"And what kind of person would that be?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Someone intelligent, with good morals, gentle hands, quick witted, firm about beliefs…"

Severus flushed slightly, making him glad the lighting was low. "Gentle hands, do I?"

Now it was her turn to blush. "Yes. Every time you've touched me, you've been gentle and caring. Words can't always say what you need to express, but when you are gentle like that, it's rather like a language all of its own."

"Are you saying you are attracted to me because my hands have a secret language?" Severus teased.

Hermione laughed. "Of course not! I'm saying it is part of what I very much like about you."

"Well… thank you," he responded quietly. "And good morals? That would depend entirely on who you talk with."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Severus. You'll have to let it go someday."

"Perhaps you can look past it. I cannot, however, and I will never be lucky enough to completely forget. Pensieves are remarkable things…"

Hermione sighed sadly. "I can't pretend to know what you've gone through in your life. I have a lot of good memories, and from watching you for so many years and talking with you now, it sounds like you have a lot of bad memories."

"'A lot' is a rather low number… However, this is absolutely depressing conversation for a first date. Let us change the subject," Severus requested, looking in her eyes.

"This time," Hermione answered with a nod. "But I want to know everything, when you are ready to tell me. I _want _to know everything, the good and the bad about you."

Severus gave a sigh of frustration. "Hermione, such things are extremely easy for you to say, because you do not even have an inkling of the things I have done and seen."

She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "You are wrong; I say it and say it easily, because I care about you that much," she whispered.

An eyebrow rose. "Do you now?"

Hermione responded by releasing his hand, scooting her chair a bit closer to his, and then taking him captive with a kiss, filling him with divine ecstasy as their lips met.

"You are entirely far too persuasive for my liking," he whispered as they broke apart.

The sound of the waiter clearing his throat prevented Hermione from responding. "Do you two need a few more minutes, or are you ready to order?"

"Brandy," Severus said, masking easily the effect Hermione's kiss had on him. "And I'll take this entrée here," he pointed to the menu. "With a Cesar salad, extra croutons."

"I'll take the same, but no brandy for me. I'll take a Shirley Temple instead," Hermione decided.

"Not a drinker?" Severus inquired when the waiter walked away.

"On occasion, but I think I'm going to need to keep my wits about me tonight. I tend to get very silly when I drink."

For some odd reason, Severus had a mental picture of her laughing and acting silly in his head; he didn't find that unappealing a bit.

"Well, whatever you are comfortable with of course. Is it alright with you if I have a drink?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course; I wouldn't presume to tell you to drink or not anyway."

"Let me know if you change your mind," Severus told her sincerely.

"Well you don't act or look like a man who holds reckless orgies when intoxicated, so I think I'm quite safe."

The look on his face made her giggle, and the blush that rose on his neck made her giggle even more.

Severus finally cleared his throat. "How wonderful that you were able to make that conclusion," he said sarcastically.

"I couldn't help it. The look on your face was hilarious!"

Severus rolled his eyes, and was very happy to see their food arrive.

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Suddenly, it was midnight. The last three hours had been spent on the dance floor of the café, Hermione held close in Severus' arms as they danced the night away.

It is likely they would have danced on through the night, but the owner came over and tapped Severus shoulder. "Pardon me sir, but we are closed now for the night."

Severus looked at the man and nodded. "Ah, my apologies. I'll pay the ticket then and we'll leave."

Hermione smiled. "I can't believe it's already so late! Do you think we had best head back?"

"Not if we don't want too. I'm sure Aralyn and the girls are coping without us. Do you wish to head back?"

"No, not especially. It's been such a lovely night." Hermione's eyes sparkled with a happiness that had been gone from them for so long.

"Likely everything is closed," Severus pointed out after paying their ticket and leaving a very generous tip. "So walking will have to do, if you don't object."

"Moonlight walking sounds very good. You surprise me Severus. I never would have pegged you for a romantic, but you certainly are."

Severus held the door open for her and they left. Just outside the door, he caught her chin and gently tilted her head up. "There are many things you do not know about me, Hermione." He looked deep into her eyes, and saw no uncertainty at what he may or may not reveal of himself.

"This," he took her in his arms. "Was just the tip of the iceberg."

Severus' lips came down coaxingly upon her own and she was surprised as he kissed her with abandon, as though he would devour her with his fierce kisses.

Hermione kissed him as well, with every ounce of her being, her lips sweet, soft, and warm upon his. Her lips parted and his tongue explored the recesses of her delightful mouth.

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A/N: Well, its short, but it's here, and that makes me happy. I apologize for the very long wait, over a month I know. I recent had to put my very favorite and much loved pet of 7 years to sleep; to say the least, it drained me and depressed me. I just couldn't get writing to save my soul. I'm starting to feel a bit better now, and my creative juices have come back, slowly but surely. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I hope another one will follow shortly!


	16. Chapter 15

The summer began to fly by, with Severus staying much longer then he had originally intended upon. That, of course, was because of Hermione and not because of his now seven-week-old nephew Adam who seemed to thoroughly enjoy interrupting everyone's sleep!

Severus and Hermione had even managed to have three more dates by the time August rolled around, each completely different then the others, each giving more in site to the other person.

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"So how was the trip to the gigantic muggle book store?" Ginny asked one afternoon. She had popped by to visit with her friend, and of course find out any juicy details she might squeeze out of Hermione!

Hermione smiled happily. "We actually had a really wonderful time. We went looking for books to flip through and went to pretty much all the same sections! Then we got some very yummy coffee drinks from the café inside the store and found some soft chairs to sit in. After that, we were so absorbed in talking about our books and virtually everything that the hours just flew by."

"Did you have to be asked to leave again?" Ginny smirked as Hermione blushed.

"No! We were out at a decent time, a few hours before they closed I'll have you know."

"You look so happy when you talk about your time with him."

Though Ginny was pointing out the obvious, Hermione was still embarrassed. "I can't quite help it," she explained. "I don't know what it is, but we just seem to click. Of course we're different sorts of people but we still have quite a lot in common and… I always feel very happy when we're together. Even if it's just around the house here and the girls are all over or Adam is crying."

Ginny beamed and hugged her friend tightly. "I'm glad for you, Mione, I truly am."

"You aren't just saying that? I mean, he did used to be our professor and he's older then me and…" Hermione's words came to a soft end as she watched for her friend's reaction.

"Hermione, as long as he treats you the way you deserve to be treated and he makes you happy, that's all that matters to me," Ginny responded honestly. "I may not be able to say the same for everyone's opinion of it, but that is mine and it won't be changing unless he does something truly beastly to you."

Hermione reached over and hugged Ginny tightly. "Thank you," she said softly. "Your brother… he still hasn't written me back or made any attempt to talk to me since Severus stopped at the Burrow that night."

Ginny sighed. "Ron is such an idiot sometimes! I bet he'll come around though."

_If only I felt as confident of that as you sound, _Hermione thought.

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As an owl arrived one morning, the seemingly blissful, though sleep deprived summer was about to come to a crashing end. "Oh dear…" Hermione sighed as she opened the letter and read it.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked, an eyebrow quirked.

"Snoopy! Uncle is snoopy!" Hailey announced, gently poking his side.

He frowned at the blond child. "Don't poke me."

Hailey grinned and poked him again.

Severus sighed and shook his head. When Hailey returned to her breakfast, he poked the child back and tickled her as well, sending her into a fit of giggles and wiggles.

"Well, Ginny's birthday is the 11th and Molly and Arthur have invited me to a party for her," Hermione filled the adults in.

"And that's not good?"

Hermione shook her head at Aralyn's question. "No… her brother and I aren't speaking currently, and I am worried he might throw a fit if I show up."

"Is he that angry at you?" Severus asked softly.

"Yes; at us both actually, but more me then you. If we showed up, it might ruin Ginny's birthday."

"Well, then you will go alone if you think that will be best," he told her.

"I don't want that," Hermione said firmly. She realized just then that all three girls were watching them intently. "Let's discuss this later, please."

Severus nodded his agreement, much to the girls' disappointment.

"I wanna hear," Lynessa pouted.

Aralyn shook her head. "You don't need to hear everything dear."

Lynessa gaped at her mother. "Course I do, then I'll learn everything!"

No one could really argue with the logic of her statement, so the table fell quiet as breakfast was finished.

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It was much later that day that Severus finally found Hermione alone and relaxed, or at least she appeared to be relaxed.

"I hate to admit it, but sometimes it is so lovely when the girls are in bed and the house is quiet," she said softly as Severus sat across from her out on the porch.

Severus smirked and nodded his agreement before sobering. "You are anxious, aren't you? About your friend's party."

A sad look crossed Hermione's face and she nodded. "I always figured Ron would be angry when he found out, I just didn't think he would be this angry for this long. I want to go, Ginny is one of my best friends, and I want you to come with me because… well… because you are important to me…"

"I certainly do not have to attend, especially if it is going to turn the party into a scene," he assured her.

"It will likely turn into one whether I show up with you or without you. I don't want to ruin Ginny's party, but…"

Severus reached over and squeezed her hand. "If I've made things incredibly difficult for you, I apologize. I suppose I never realized how much our relationship would affect things."

Hermione sighed, tears shining in her eyes. "It's not your fault Severus. And I certainly won't apologize to anyone for being involved with you! It's not like I began dating you the week after Harry's funeral! I had my time to grieve, but a person needs to move on and not be stuck in the same place forever."

"Of course… That doesn't answer the question of whether or not I'm to accompany you."

She smiled just a little. "You are coming, whether or not you want too."

Severus' eyebrow rose. "Oh, I will, will I?"

"Yes, you will!"

Any further banter was ended as Severus leaned over and kissed her gently at first, then more urgently.

"You are a wonderful woman and friend, Hermione. Do not let any silly young man make you feel any different," he instructed her after they broke apart for air.

"I don't try," she told him quietly. "But to have someone that you've been through so many things with- seven years of school, war, death- to have that same person act as though I don't exist is so very hurtful."

"As I am sure you are aware of, boys mature at a slower rate then girls," Severus pointed out. "It is quite likely he will come around to the idea, or at least be able to cope with it. So if he thinks so badly of you, what precisely does he think of me?"

"Well," Hermione stifled a giggle. "Basically that you are a cradle robbing, greasy old man who most certainly has used a potion somewhere in this relationship of ours."

Severus sat there for a few seconds, before throwing his head back and laughing. "How old does he think I am, eighty? And you are certainly no infant in the cradle! Greasy perhaps…"

"No, not greasy," Hermione assured him. "Your hair is just extremely dark, as black as black can be I suppose. It also seems naturally oily, so that is likely what makes it look greasy when in fact, it isn't. You have very nice hair."

"Hmm, thank you," Severus nodded along with her comments. "Now if anybody should be teased for their hair…" He smirked.

Hermione playfully slapped his arm, which made him chuckle. "Severus! My hair is not all big and bushy like it was when I was just a little girl!"

He continued to smirk. "Well I for one am thankful for that! Otherwise my hand might be come lost when I run it through your hair as I kiss you."

When his girlfriend merely responded with a rolling of her eyes, Severus grabbed her up and kissed, his hands trailing through her long soft hair.

"Hmm, I guess it's a good thing they aren't lost after all," Hermione decided before returning his kiss.

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A/N: Dreadful long time in being update I know! Now don't scold me! I'd rather wait a long time to get it right, then write something quickly and have it not be what I really want. Lack of inspiration, I tell you. Bah. I hope you enjoy it, more will be following soon (crossing my fingers within the current month) with a trip to the Burrow for Ginny's birthday! This chapter is short, but good I think! They need a few moments where there isn't something going on LOL.


	17. Chapter 16

The day of Ginny Weasley's birthday party had arrived. Hand in hand, Severus Snape and Hermione Granger apparated to the yard of the Burrow.

There was a great crowd of people around already, milling about and drinking punch while conversing with one another. Some of the conversations died down as the two appeared, causing Hermione's face to blush prettily.

She looked up and caught Severus' eye. "Well," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "This is your last chance to go back to Aralyn's."

Severus' eyebrow cocked. "Not interested," he answered her firmly.

His words sent Hermione's heart fluttering and she was quite relieved that he was going to stay with her. Hermione wanted him here with her and she wasn't ashamed of what they had found together.

"Here goes nothing," she said. As they turned to make their way through the crowd, Severus met each and every gaze with determination.

Leading the way inside the Burrow, Hermione looked around for members of her adopted family. "Hello hello!"

Ginny Longbottom, nee Weasley, rushed over to her friend. "Oh Mione save me!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly.

"Save you from what?" Hermione questioned with a soft laugh.

"From touching my belly! Now that I'm showing some, everyone wants to touch my belly. It's creeping me out." The birthday girl gave a pout before turning her attention towards Severus.

"Hello… Professor?" Ginny greeted him, her tone slightly questioning. "Sorry, I don't know what I should call you! You used to be my teacher and now you are dating Mione." Despite the uncertainty of her initial greeting, Ginny held out her hand towards him and smiled.

"Severus will do," he told her, shaking her hand and surprising her with a smile.

Ginny beamed at him. "Sounds good, I wasn't sure. Neville is around here somewhere…"

"I see him," Hermione told her. She waved for Neville to come over. They watched the young man take a good look, then turn and go the other way. "Oh dear," Hermione giggled. "Well, where is your mum?"

Ginny sighed. "Out in the back actually. Neville! Oh Neville, come over here!" The pregnant young woman shook her head and went after her husband.

"Let's catch up with her," Severus said, taking Hermione's hand in his own and carefully leading her through the mingling people.

As they finally emerged from the house and out into the backyard, Hermione was practically ripped from Severus' hand and squished in a hug.

"Oh Hermione, I'm so glad you made it dear!" Molly exclaimed. "The whole family is here now! And Severus, how nice to see you!" Poor squished Hermione could only give Severus a helpless look while returning Molly's hug.

Severus greeted Molly with a nod and a small smile as Ginny returned. "I have something for you," he told Ginny, producing a small vial from the folds of his black robes. "This is a special soothing lotion to help calm the baby when it kicks," he explained, handing the vial to her. "I made it myself."

Ginny looked completely shocked for a moment. "Thank you Severus, very much," she finally said softly, giving him a smile. "I'm going to get a lot of use out of this!"

Severus was shocked when the pregnant young woman suddenly gave him a hug. Molly tried very hard not to laugh at the shocked and almost horrified look on his face, as did Hermione. The poor man actually blushed!

"You're very welcome," Severus muttered when Ginny released him. It was then Hermione could no longer stand herself and began to laugh.

"Poor, poor Severus! There's a lot of hugging that goes on here, I'll try and shield you," she winked at him and conveniently placed herself in his arms.

Automatically, his arms wrapped around her. Severus glanced around a bit before leaning down to whisper to her. "I don't see Mr. Weasley yet."

"I don't either," Hermione replied, feeling rather relieved about that. "Keep an eye out for Fred or Luna, will you? I'm dying to see their baby, I've heard she's just gorgeous!"

Hermione took Severus' hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on, I have a present to put on the gift table, and I have to protect you also! So that means you must follow directly behind me."

Severus smirked and nodded, more then willing to follow his girlfriend to the ends of the earth and back again. They entered the house and yet again made their way through a crowd of people.

"I think Neville is a bit intimidated by you," Hermione commented as she placed her gift on the table. "Every time he sees us, he keeps turning around and going the other direction! Oh well, he'll get over it."

"I doubt that," Severus commented with what could only be described as a rather mischievous and self-satisfied smirk. The smirk earned him a playful slap on his arm.

"Well if you are going to continue coming to family function, you sir had best hope he does!" Hermione gave him a smirk of her own.

"I cannot help it if he will not get over it, as you say," Severus pointed out. He wouldn't continue to bully the boy, as he had when Neville was at Hogwarts, and truth be told he didn't blame the young man for running the opposite of him!

They continued to talk quietly together, holding hands and smiling at one another until a snotty voice interrupted them.

"Well, look who decided to come! I certainly wouldn't have shown my face here if I were you Hermione Granger!"

Hermione tensed and she squeezed Severus' hands. "Please Ron," she turned to look at Ron. "Please don't ruin this day for your sister. It's her birthday."

Her plea was met with a scowl. "I can't believe you came, especially with HIM!" Ron indicated Severus, his voice dripping with venom.

Severus' immediate instinct was to lash out at the red headed twerp, but somehow- he wasn't quite sure how- managed not too. "Weasley." He greeted Ron shortly, doing his best to keep from sneering. Oh, was he _ever_ tempted to sneer!

Ron glared at his former professor, before attacking Hermione again. "I'm sure you got lonely Hermione, but did you have to pick Snape out of all the men in the world? Or were you just that desperate for a shag?"

Hermione gasped at his words, her face clouding over with hurt. "Ron, that's not fair! You know that isn't true! I deserve to be happy and Harry would have…"

"Harry's turning over in his grave, I'd bet!" Ron interrupted. The whole room quieted then and everyone glanced over at them, waiting to see what was going on and what would happen.

Hermione looked like she was about to crumple to the floor then and there, and Severus decided he had behaved long enough! He took a threatening step towards Ron, his eyes flashing dangerously at the young man.

"I am quite certain Potter _is_ turning over in his gave," he replied in a silky smooth yet very deadly tone. Hermione gave him a shocked look, upset that he would agree with Ron. But Severus, however, was not done. Not even nearly done.

"However, I can promise that is not because Hermione is now with me, but because of your cruel behavior towards her!" He shouted the last few words, making the crowd draw back a bit.

Ron stood his ground, but Hermione could see the doubt now creeping into his eyes.

"This young woman has been your friend through it all Weasley! Never did she even _think_ of turning her back on you. Even now, she would not think it. She is the best friend you've ever had, besides Potter of course, but he is gone now.

Hermione has mourned for him and still does. She will for the rest of her life, and she will love him for the rest of her life. But she has fallen in love with _me_, as I have with her. After all the hell she has been through with YOU, she deserves to be happy. I will _not_ allow you to ruin her happiness.

You have no right to do this to her. Look at her Weasley; she is still begging you to let her give you her friendship. Even after how you've behaved!" Severus continued to thunder on in anger at Ron, not caring what anyone else in the room thought about what he had to say.

"I can guarantee you, that if you let her go, you will _never_ find another like her. Ever. Keep that in mind!" With that said, Severus took Hermione's hand and led her back outside. If Ron wanted to continue the argument, he could follow.

Everyone was silent still as Severus escorted Hermione outside. Even she was very quiet, squeezing his hand tightly, tears shining in her sad eyes. "I'm sorry Severus," she whispered.

"Why are you sorry? You have done nothing," Severus soothed, gathering her into his arms. How he wanted to strangle Weasley, but that would rather ruin the night for everyone, he supposed.

She stood on her tiptoes to rest her head on his shoulder. "I love you Severus."

"I love you too, with all my heart. I am sorry he behaved as he did too. You do not deserve such treatment."

"You don't think everybody assumes we're together for the sex, do you?" Hermione asked softly. "Because that's not what we're about, and that's not the kind of person I am."

Severus shook his head. "I don't care what they think. If they do think such a thing, then they are certainly not worth worrying over."

She nodded, knowing he was right. "Thank you for everything you said to him."

"Every word was true. I hope you know that," he said before tenderly kissing her.

"I do," Hermione added a nod as they broke apart. "Whoever knew you'd turn out to be my knight in… Well, shining armor doesn't quite fit, but you are my knight in black robes."

He laughed at that, rather loudly, and everyone around them paused to gawk at him. Never had any of them e_ver_ thought that they'd hear Professor Severus Snape actually _laugh_! Most didn't even know he had a sense of humor!

"Would you like to stay?" Hermione asked. "I hate to leave so early… Ooh, the baby!" She squealed in delight and raced off. Apparently the only thing that would tear Hermione away from him would be a baby!

She promptly returned with a wide-eyed redheaded baby, the proud parents following behind her. "Isn't she beautiful Severus? Oh, I want you!" she cooed to the baby. "Her name is Cassie!"

With her fingers in her mouth, the baby looked at Severus and gurgled a bit at him. One of his dark eyebrows shot up in response, and Cassie giggled, making everyone else laugh. Then she surprised everyone by reaching out to Severus, obviously wanting him to hold her

"She wants you Severus," Hermione said. "It is alright if he holds her, hmm?"

The proud mother, Luna Weasley, formerly Luna Lovegood, nodded. "She's named after the stars," Luna said softly. "But we call her Cassie," Fred threw in. Hermione grinned and kissed Cassie's head before handing her over to Severus.

Severus looked shocked, but recovered quickly, as he had some practice in with his new nephew. Carefully he took the baby and held her gently. She studied him intently and giggled again, then reached for his raised eyebrow and yanked on it carefully. Severus wrinkled his nose, and Cassie grabbed that next, laughing her head off.

Fred quickly snapped a picture while Hermione grinned widely as she watched the two of them. "You two look so cute together! Isn't she just a sweetie? Oh yes you are Cassie! She really likes you Severus, you're going to make a wonderful father someday," she decided.

He blushed, but before he could reply, Cassie put both hands on each side of his face, and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. Severus turned a bright red, and everyone laughed and cheered.

"Well I do believe you are a lady-killer Snape, Professor Snape," Fred quickly added the title.

"Oh Severus, if only you could see how sweet you both look together," Hermione added, resting her hand on his arm. "Wouldn't you just love a little girl like her someday?"

"The stars I think would approve of that," Luna added her own opinion.

Fred looked completely horrified for a moment. "Luna, don't encourage them," he hissed. "I for one still want to think Ginny's baby was created by immaculate conception, and I'd like to have the same thoughts with regards to Mione here!"

Severus nearly choked, and while Hermione did her best not to laugh he handed Cassie to her rather interesting father and tried to look as dignified as he could. "She is a beautiful little girl, Weasley." He said, nodding to Luna as well.

"Her name is Cassiopeia Moon!" Luna declared proudly.

"Thank you," Fred grinned. "Oh here comes grandma again. I swear she'll just kidnap my baby one of these days..."

Hermione laughed as Molly, who did indeed grab up the wee redheaded baby, waylaid Fred and Luna.

Finding themselves alone once more, Hermione looked up at Severus. "You didn't answer my question, dear."

"What question was that?"

"If you would like to have a little baby like Cassie, or Adam, someday. I think you were distracted by her honking your nose when I asked!"

Severus smiled. "So I was." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you suppose we could train our children not to do that?" He asked, rubbing his nose.

Hermione fell quiet for a moment, her heart beating so fast and loud that she was sure something was wrong with it! "I'm not sure, but we could certainly try," she whispered. "Babies do love to grab things though, and your nose is a prime target," she pointed out before kissing his nose gently. "Poor darling, the baby beat you up."

He smirked. "She did not." He replied with a huff, then grinned and grabbed her into a hug. "I would love to have children with you, Hermione Jane Granger." He whispered.

"Oh Severus!" she squealed and threw her arms around his neck, rewarding him with a very passionate kiss.

"Ew, I'm blind, I'm blind!" George Weasley whined to his wife a few yards away. "Make it stopppp!"

Severus glanced over at them with a raised eyebrow, then back at Hermione. "It would appear that Ron is not the only Weasley in need of an attitude adjustment." He said with a smirk.

George's wife, formerly Miss Angelina Johnson, waved as Hermione laughed. "Well I'd rather have George 'Ew'-ing us then Ron's tantrums! It's really only Neville that I feel badly for."

"Hmmm." He muttered as he scanned the crowd before he saw Neville standing close to Ginny. "Longbottom!" Severus called to the young man. "Come over here for a moment."

Neville jumped and looked at Severus with wide-eyes, before turning around and nearly walking in the other direction. Ginny quickly grabbed her husband's collar. "Neville, please, he means a lot to Hermione! For me? Pretty please?"

Neville frowned, unable to really resist Ginny's pleading eyes, but still rather terrified. "Will you come with me?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes dear, your pregnant wife will come with you to protect you from the big bad Professor." Neville blushed, but kissed her, and then they both walked over to Severus.

Severus shocked Neville by extending his hand to him. "How are you, Longbottom? I have been meaning to greet you, but you keep running away."

Neville stared at his hand for a moment. "Um... quite well..." he finally stuttered out, taking Severus' hand and shaking it. "His name is Neville," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I did have him as a student for seven years. Tell me more about yourself, Neville. I hear you're a mediwizard."

Neville was still quite shocked. "Yes, I work at St. Mungo's. I quite like it actually! I work with the patients that have been wounded mentally by curses."

"Good. I imagine you do well at your job." Severus' eyes softened. "How are your parents?"

Neville was silent for a moment. "As well as they can be. They don't really remember that I'm their son, but they do remember me as the nice mediwizard that works there. It's just nice to be near them, know they're alright, even if they don't remember me as their son."

"That's good. I'm glad you get to be with them," Severus said sincerely.

The young man nodded. "I didn't mean to be rude and not come talk with you, but to be honest, I was quite worried you'd yell at me for something. I'm glad that you aren't, of course."

Severus smiled a bit. "I've found that I do not yell as much as I used too, and you can thank Hermione for that." He looked down into Hermione's eyes. "I find that she's made me want to be a better man," he spoke softly, tendering stroking Hermione's cheek.

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A/N: YAY not two months for an update! Everyone dance about that! And 7.5 pages! I really hope you all like this chapter and thank you to all who review, especially the faithful reviewers! I'll be answering reviews throughout this week.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Fiancé of hero Harry Potter dating Hogwarts professor and ex-Deatheater! Exclusive scoop given by a close friend of hero and Miss Hermione Granger!**_

Two days after Ginny's party, that headline and rather lengthy article appeared on the front page of the Daily Prophet. It was, of course, written by non-other then Rita Skeeter who, rather sadly as far as Snape was concerned, had managed to survive the war unscathed.

"Has Hermione seen this?" Severus asked his sister, holding out the paper with a look of utter disgust on his face.

"I'll KILL him!" Hermione was heard shouting upstairs.

"There's my answer," Severus grumbled. "I cannot believe that Weasley. I could strangle him!"

"Enough, enough," Aralyn chided. "I understand you are angry, it makes me angry too, but I don't want any more talk of killing or strangling or mangling or anything else your mind might come up with. That sort of thing doesn't need to be said around my children, thank you!"

Severus leaned over and kissed the top of his sister's head. "My apologies."

"What's strangling?" Lynessa asked, looking up from her bowl of cereal.

Aralyn scowled at her brother.

"It's something that uncle should not have been talking about in front of you and your sisters," Severus told the little girl. "Let's not think about it anymore, alright?"

"So it was bad then?" Maisie piped up.

Severus sighed. "It was a bad choice on my part, yes."

"Mummy, is uncle going to get a time out?" Hailey asked, giving a very Snape-like smirk.

Severus grunted and rolled his eyes, missing the completely delighted look on his sister's face.

"No, he isn't going to get a time out Hailey. He's too old for a time out," Aralyn answered.

"Old! Uncle's old!" Hailey giggled.

"Well, now that I've been told I'm old and my nieces are plotting against me to have me given a time out, I'm going to check on Hermione!" Snape stood up and went upstairs.

He found her sitting in her room, balling up each piece of parchment that the Daily Prophet was written on and throwing it into the fireplace, making growling noises as she did so.

"I'm sorry," Severus said softly, entering the room and sitting on the floor beside her.

"You!" Hermione jabbed at him with her finger. "Have nothing to be sorry for!"

Severus caught her finger and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. "I realize that. However, I am sorry that it has happened just the same."

"If he thinks this is going to break us up, he's insane," she told Severus firmly. "Because he obviously doesn't understand the important thing here: we love each other."

"Can I do anything?"

Hermione shook her head no. "There's really nothing to be done. Other then killing Ron of course, which we sadly can't do."

"Very sadly," Severus added, still feeling the urge to strangle Ron Weasley with his bare hands.

"I just don't understand why he can't leave us be? He doesn't have to be happy for us if he doesn't want to be, but he doesn't have to make us miserable either," Hermione said softly.

"I don't know." Severus pulled her into his arms. "Do not allow him to ruin things for you, for us."

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Ronald Weasley sat in the living room at the Burrow, sulking. He had thought the article would be a great way to break Hermione and Severus up or at least cause them some grief, but so far it was only causing _him _grief.

However, his mother was currently not speaking to him and wasn't feeding him, one of the nice perks that are usually part of living at home, and his father kept looking at him and shaking his head.

While Ron sulked, two people arrived who were going to make his day worse. Well, only one person was really going to make his day worse; the second person just happened to be the husband.

"Hi mum," Neville greeted Molly quietly, accepting the hug with a smile. "Gin's on the war path, better watch out."

Ginny Weasley Longbottom stormed into the living room, a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands. Her brother was blissfully unaware of her presence until she smacked him upside the head as hard as she could with the Prophet.

"Exactly **WHAT** if _anything_ goes through that mind of yours Ronald Bilius Weasley? Who are you and where did my brother go? How dare you! How dare you!" Ginny shrieked in a display that made Molly proud.

"Ow! Bloody hell!" Ron shouted back, turning and glaring at his sister.

"What the hell kind of man are you? Huh?" Ginny demanded, tapping her foot angrily. "You are treating Hermione like scum and nobody can even figure out why! Do _you _even know why anymore?"

Ron's face grew red. "Yeah, I do know. I've always known, and I always will."

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Late that night after the girls were in bed, Severus and Hermione made good use of Aralyn's porch swing for a cuddle under the stars.

"The article is still bothering you, isn't it?" Severus asked her quietly.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Did you read it?"

Severus shook his head no. "The title of the article was enough for my taste."

"It's full of so many lies. We're apparently secretly engaged, and you slip me a potion of your own making every few days to keep me under your thumb. I'm basically some potion-induced bimbo who can't keep her hands off you." Hot tears burned her eyes, but this time they didn't fall.

"I would happily pay Mr. Weasley a visit and teach him the art of being a gentleman, albeit rather painfully of course…"

She had to smile at that. "No… at least not right now. Something does need to be done though. I suppose I'm going to have to confront him, before there's another front page article about you being aroused by drinking blood or something equally nonsensical."

Severus chuckled softly. "Sadly, that one a vast majority of people would believe. It isn't exactly old news that I seem to resemble a vampire. Not the kind of vampire that attracts women in the muggle movies of course, but more of a Dracula collecting brides sort of vampire."

His silly musings had their desired effect when Hermione laughed softly and a genuine smile crossed her face, her distressed look fleeing momentarily. "Well whatever sort of vampire you may or may not be, I love you," she said sincerely.

He reached down and took her hand in his. "And I love you." Severus' whispered words were followed by a gentle kiss.

"Not that I wish to add to your troubles, but did you realize that school will be beginning again soon?"

Hermione stopped short. "I completely forgot. You've spent your entire summer here, haven't you?"

Severus nodded. "I have, and enjoyed it immensely. Sadly, I will have to leave in a week and make sure my classroom is ready for the new term and that Poppy has all the potions she will need for the first two weeks."

She gave a tiny sigh and looked down. The thought of him not being there every day with her was a terribly sad thought. "I'm almost unsure what I'll do without you."

"It's not as though I am leaving you Hermione; I promise you that. Hogwarts is only as far away as you apparating." Severus tipped her head up and kissed her once more, urgently now. "I find myself wondering what I will do without you as well. I hope you will come visit me, often. I am unsure how often I'll be able to leave the school for visits, but I am sure we can work out a date every weekend. And you are welcome any evening; every evening in fact."

"I don't want things to change…" Hermione whispered.

"Our feelings won't change," Severus told her. "They might grow stronger, in fact."

Hermione snuggled tight against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You could have a job at Hogwarts anytime, do you realize that?"

"I do," she assured him. "I can't imagine leaving the girls right now. I've grown so fond of them, and I know they'd be crushed if I went away after such a short time with them. And like you said: I'm welcome anytime."

"You are most welcome," he whispered, just before his lips captured hers once again.

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These days, it was far more likely that Hermione Granger would be seen in a pair of jeans and a shirt, or a skirt and blouse, or something that looked very muggle. She owned robes, or rather a robe, but she was much more comfortable in her everyday clothing; comfort was an essential thing when dealing with three very active girls on a daily basis!

Thus it was a surprise to see a very determined Hermione Granger apparate into the front yard of the Burrow, dressed in a black robe. One might say she was emulating Severus, which would be entirely false: Hermione had not purchased another robe since Mrs. Weasley had given her the black one to wear at Harry's funeral.

She waved a hand at Mr. Weasley who was outside tinkering with his latest muggle artifact, indicating for him to be quiet about her arrival. "Where's Ron?" she inquired softly after approaching the man.

"He's inside dear, in the living room," Arthur told her. "Hermione?"

Hermione had turned to walk away, but looked back at him.

"For what it's worth… I'm terribly sorry about this mess that Ron created."

The young woman responded by throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "I know," Hermione whispered. "Somewhere Ron got lost, and it isn't your fault. And no matter what he may do, you and Molly and everyone will always be my family."

Arthur kissed the top of her head. "You're a good girl Hermione. Now, go inside and see if you can't give my son a kick in the pants and bring back the real Ron."

Ron never had a clue what was coming towards him through the back door of the Burrow. He turned around as someone tapped his shoulder, and a clue came very quickly as to what was brewing.

Hermione reached out and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. "That is for giving all that ridiculous and completely untrue information to the Daily Prophet!"

"Ow!" Caught by surprise by both the slap and the force of it, Ron couldn't help but exclaim as her hand connected with his left cheek.

"Do I have your attention now Ronald? Your full attention?" Hermione demanded, her eyes glinting with deep-seated anger, her chest heaving as that anger coursed through her body and made it almost hard to breathe.

"Yes!" Ron shouted back, rubbing his cheek. "Bloody hell!"

Hermione glared at him. "Don't even tell me you are surprised that I slapped for that article."

Ron couldn't tell her that, as it didn't surprise him, he just hadn't supposed she'd sneak up on him the day after the article ran.

"I want an explanation Ron, right now. You have been nothing but cruel to me since you found out that Severus and I had an interest in each other, but this stunt you pulled with the Daily Prophet is the last straw. This is your _one _and I do mean _one and only_ chance to explain your despicable behavior to me."

She stood there, fuming, watching his every move and practically daring him to say something rotten to her.

Ron looked at her for the longest time, their eyes locking on one another. _I'm so doomed, _he thought. _She probably won't believe me, and it will make things worse! How things ever got this far, how I ever got into this, I don't even know! Oh wait… I do know… Harry…_

"You're going to hate me even more Hermione, once I tell you," he told her slowly.

Hermione sighed. "If I hated you Ron, even the tiniest bit, do you think I would have come here today to slap and yell at you? It really would have been entirely easier to let Severus handle you in whatever manner he pleased, if I hated you."

The young man shuddered, having several unpleasant ideas at the sort of ways Severus Snape would have seen fit to use to deal with him.

"I came because I'm angry, and… for some incredible reason I wanted to give you one last chance to stop the ridiculous and childish goings on and become friends again."

_Bloody hell Harry, _Ron thought again, trying to focus his thoughts before speaking. _Why did you and I have to fall for the same girl? And why were you the only one who had the balls to tell her you had fallen in love with her?_

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A/N: Alright, so how many of you correctly predicted the reason behind Ron's anger? I'd really love to know, so drop me a line or two about it in your review. Please, please, review even though I've been so horrible about updating!


	19. Chapter 18

Hermione continued to stare at Ron, tapping her foot impatiently. "Ron, I am not standing here all day. I actually have better things to do then stand here, amazingly enough."

"Look, it's not exactly easy," Ron retorted, scowling.

"Oh, and reading about my love life according to your lying mouth on the front page of the Daily Prophet was easier?"

She had him there, and Ron knew it. "Hermione… I love you. I've loved you since I discovered you were a girl back in fourth year. Only I knew Harry liked you too, and so I didn't say anything. Then the next thing I knew, you and he were a couple and then engaged and then… he was dead."

Hermione's eyes grew wide at his pronouncement that he loved her and had for a few years now. She wondered how she had managed to miss the signs, for surely there had to have been signs!

"I'm going to assume by the look on your face that you had no idea…" Ron interrupted her thoughts.

"No, I didn't," she said softly. Not that this was an excuse for any of his horrible behavior, but it did serve to make her feel a little badly for him.

"After Harry died, I thought that when you were ready to move on, I'd be here and I could tell you and find out if you felt the same way. Then I come home one night and Snape is leaving after coming here looking for you and Ginny was all going on about how concerned he was and how she really thought he liked you," he continued on.

"I was really disappointed to think someone else had interest in you and yet again had beaten me to telling you so, and it really bothered me that it was _Snape_! Of all people in the whole world!"

Hermione bristled at the tone in which Ron said his name. "If you are trying to get me to forgive you, spitting out his name like that doesn't get you any closer," she pointed out in a rather icy tone.

"Well really Hermione! Why him? I mean, okay, so you fall in love with someone other then me, but SNAPE? Who hated Harry and made our lives miserable at Hogwarts? I mean, bloody hell, I can't even think of anyone worse then him except Filch!"

**_CRACK! _**Hermione's hand flew out and smacked Ron across the face yet again.

"Ronald Weasley, this is the worst attempt at an apology that I have **_ever_** heard. If you thought this was going to be an acceptable apology then you are sadly mistaken. How dare you, after the way you have treated me, even begin to make remarks on Severus' character? You are hardly a gentleman Ronald Weasley, and I can assure you that Severus Snape is more of a man then you will _ever_ be in your entire lifetime!"

Hermione's face grew red as she shouted at her former friend, who supposedly loved her. "I have had it with you! I have had it with all of this nonsense that you have been putting me through! If you really did love me Ron, you'd want me to be happy! I don't believe a word that's come out of your mouth today and I will certainly never stop to hear what comes out of it from now on!

I hope you are happy with yourself, because I am never forgiving you, ever. Stay away from me, stay away from Severus, and if you make anymore exclusive stories for the Daily Prophet or anyone else for that matter, I promise you that you will regret it for a very, very long time, assuming Severus doesn't maim you first!"

Ron rubbed his face again as she continued to shout at him. "Now Hermione, wait a minute…"

"NO! No more minutes, no more anything! You are a complete arse and I never want anything to do with you again!" Turning and walking very quickly, Hermione stormed outside and just managed to keep her tears in check as she apparated out of the yard.

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Hermione was in tears by the time she arrived back at the Laurent household, raising alarm among her charges.

"Uncle, uncle!" Lynessa ran into the bedroom her uncle was occupying. "Hermione's back and she's crying!"

While Severus had been about to scold his niece on remembering to knock, that quickly shifted out of focus as he hurried to comfort his distraught love. He was just in time to see Hermione dash into her room and close the door.

He knocked briefly, his hand already on the doorknob.

"Please don't come in right now!" Hermione called out.

Of course, Severus ignored her completely and opened the door. "I take it you went to see Weasley?" he asked softly.

Hermione nodded, hastily drying her tears. "You know, I've entirely too much crying this summer, and I'm getting sick of it," she told him quietly. "And please don't tell me that you warned me not to go see him. I felt like I needed too, and I don't regret it, even if I have given up on him completely."

"I wasn't going to say that," Severus told her truthfully. "I was thinking it, but I wasn't going to say it."

Shaking her head, Hermione put her arms around Severus, sighing happily as he pulled her closer to him.

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Somehow it really didn't surprise Molly Weasley when Severus Snape appeared at her home a few hours after Hermione left. "Now Severus," she said quietly. "You aren't going to hurt him are you?"

Severus looked at her quite seriously. "No… or at least not permanently."

Molly shook her head. "No wands. I won't have dueling in my house."

"Alright, no wands. I give you my word," Severus told her gravely.

She nodded and let him past her. "Ronald! There's someone to see you!"

As Ron came noisily down the stairs, Molly retreated into her living room, wanting nothing to do with what was about to happen.

"I have nothing to say to you Snape," Ron scowled.

"That's entirely too bad. I have several things to say to you," Severus replied, his silky tone full of distaste. "Outside."

Severus turned on his heel and stalked out the back door, feeling quite pleased when Ron followed and closed the door.

"I have two things to give to you," Severus began, his look dark. "Here is the first." As he reached out towards Ron, he smirked, as the young man seemed to cringe then flush with embarrassment. He handed Ron a small slip of paper with an address scribbled on it.

"I've taken the liberty in finding you employment, since you currently have none. However, the only position I could find was in Romania, at this address, working with the crews rebuilding the area from its war torn state."

Ron snorted. "And what else did you have for me?" While he had been staring at the slip of paper, he had missed seeing Snape begin to roll up his sleeves a bit, exposing his hands in a menacing way.

"Seeing as your mother made me give her my word I wouldn't use a wand…" Severus' fist connected hard with Ron's nose. "I am forced to give you the extent of my displeasure via the rather brutish muggle method of hitting you." He watched as the young man nearly fell over, grabbing onto his nose.

"Though I must say, there is a bit of satisfaction to be had in physical fighting…" Snape paused, watching Ron's every move. "I suggest you take the job, Ronald Weasley, and leave this area as soon as possible. I do not ever want to see you near Hermione again. The consequences would be extremely swift and not so pleasant for you should you not heed my words."

Severus pushed the sleeves of his robe back to their original position. "Good day, Mr. Weasley, and goodbye."

As he apparated away, he could hear Ron shouting for his mother, and merely smiled.

Nobody was surprised when Ron went to Romania two days later.

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The end of the week came much sooner then anyone in the Laurent household wanted it too. The night before Severus was to return to Hogwarts to prepare for the new school term he was bombarded by his nieces.

"Uncle, can't you stay?" Hailey asked, crawling onto his lap.

Severus, who hadn't invited her to sit on him, nevertheless helped her up and pulled her close. "No, I need to go and get ready to teach tomorrow. Otherwise I won't have anything ready when the students come."

Maisie sat on his left, leaning against him. "That's okay," she reasoned.

He chuckled and kissed her head. "No, it wouldn't be alright. That is my job. Someday when you girls are older, I will teach you three in my potions class at Hogwarts."

Lynessa's eyebrow rose. "I don't think I would like that."

"Hm? Why not Nessa?"

"Cuz I only want Hermione to teach me!" the young girl grinned.

Severus smiled a bit and kissed her head as well, and kissed Hailey's head for good measure. "Well, I suppose I can't blame you there. Hermione is a very special lady. I've also heard she is a very good teacher."

"She's the bestest ever!" Hailey piped up.

"Not uh. It's _best _Hailey," Maisie corrected her youngest sister.

Hailey shook her head. "That's what I said!"

Rolling his eyes, Severus began to tickle the girls, who responded by squealing, wriggling and attempting to tickle him in return.

When bedtime rolled around, Hermione and Aralyn found the girls asleep in Severus' room. An open book lay on the nightstand; Hailey was snuggled in his lap, and the other two girls had their heads resting against his chest.

"Come to rescue me?" Severus whispered. Hermione didn't miss the slight twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, you poor poor man, loved to death by your nieces," Aralyn winked and picked up Hailey.

"Hmph. Looks to me like I wasn't invited to the slumber party," Hermione said with a soft laugh.

Severus' eyebrows rose, and a mischevious look came over his face.

As Hermione leaned over to pick up Lynessa, she brushed a kiss across Severus' lips. "If you carry Maisie into her bedroom and tuck her in, I'll join you on the porch," she offered.

Severus nodded and carried Maisie into her bedroom and covered her up with her fluffy pink comforter, covered in ballerinas. As he tucked the comforter and blankets around her tight, he kissed her forehead and smiled softly. _I wonder if some day I'll have my own little girl to tuck into bed…_

He liked the thought of that, and reasoned that it would be well worth putting up with stuffed animals and tea sets and various pink, fluffy items, to have his own daughter to care for.

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As Aralyn walked across her room, rocking a restless Adam in her arms, she peeked out the window at the pair of lovebirds below on the swing. Shaking her head, she gently kissed her son's head. "Those two! They should just get married already."

Adam merely gurgled and waved his little fist around.

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Hermione tried to be stoic about Severus leaving. She really did! Her good plans were destined to fail of course, and she quickly found herself fighting back tears.

Hailey ran to her uncle and wrapped her arms around his leg. "Are you coming back soon?" she questioned anxiously.

Severus gently ruffled her hair. "I'll come for little visits. You lot will have to come visit me for Christmas this year, it's my turn to remain at the school."

"But Christmas is far away!" Lynessa protested. "Days and days and days and _days!_"

Looking rather sly, Severus looked down at her. "You could always ask Hermione to bring you to Hogsmeade and meet me for a nice supper out." He winked at the girl, who grinned mischievously in response.

A brief second later, the three girls practically jumped on Severus, hugging him as tight as they could. _I do believe this is the best time I've ever had with these monkeys, _he thought as he hugged them back.

A gentle head rub for baby Adam, and a warm hug for his sister, soon Severus was left with only one more person to say goodbye to: the one person he didn't want to ever say it to. He could tell Hermione was fighting tears, which shone in her beautiful eyes.

"I'm going to miss you terribly," Hermione whispered, letting Severus take her hands in his.

"And I you. I insist that you come visit me, often, anytime of the day or night. And you must write to me as well. Aralyn owns an owl you can borrow," he responded, kissing her hands.

Sniffling just a little, she nodded. "I promise I'll come visit you, as often as I can."

Instead of responding verbally, Severus pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest and claiming her soft lips in a kiss that erupted like fireworks. Hermione threw her arms around him in abandon, kissing him with all of her heart and soul.

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A/N: Hope you all enjoy the chapter! What will happen now that Severus is back at Hogwarts? Take care everyone, and enjoy!


	20. Chapter 19

Severus arrived back at Hogwarts with much more of a reception then he wanted. The first opportunity that Dumbledore and McGonagall had, each had come to supposedly chat with him. What they really wanted was to know what all was going on between he and Hermione!

Both professors wanted to see Severus happy, but both knew that might take a miracle. Neither had thought of Hermione Granger as that miracle and wondered if indeed she was.

"I'm being interrogated," Severus grumbled, sitting in the teacher's lounge that night. "This is exactly why I rarely come here." He took a swig of his tea, scowling at the others in the room.

"We are merely interested, dear boy," Dumbledore told him. His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"No Headmaster, you are merely curious and a bit nosy." Severus shook his head when Dumbledore merely chuckled.

McGonagall sighed. "We aren't going to get a thing out of you, are we?"

Severus nodded. "Correct Minerva; you will get absolutely nothing until I decide otherwise. My private life is, or at least is supposed to be, private."

The two older professors looked distinctly disappointed, but no less curious as to how he may or may not behave this term, thanks to his said private life.

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"You look so sad Hermione," Maisie pointed out.

Severus had been gone almost two full days now, and Hermione had felt the difference in the house a full minute after he had left. "I'm sorry love," she replied, smiling at the little girl.

"I know you miss uncle. Mummy said love makes you hurt inside. I don't understand why."

"Neither do I," Hermione admitted. "Love is a very strange thing sometimes, but it is also a very, very wonderful thing."

Maisie looked thoughtful. "Did you write uncle a letter?"

"Just this morning I did."

"Good!" The little girl hugged her tight. "He'll write back and make you happy, I know it!"

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Severus had received the letter shortly after it had been composed. He was relieved, having had no idea how to start a letter to Hermione first. He was no Shakespeare after all!

_Dear Severus- - I almost don't know what to say! I have several things I want to say, but it is hard to put them into written words. I miss you… The house feels almost empty now, as silly as that seems with five others living here! I hope you are missing me._

He nodded as he read the letter, the part about him missing her. He missed her very much. Maybe not so much the noise and excitement of Aralyn's home, but Severus distinctly missed having Hermione so close. Watching her as she played with the girls, seeing her smile, feeling her in his arms…

_How are your preparations going for the new term? I assume they are going well, I remember how organized everything always was each year. You were organized here too, which is no small task with the girls!_

_I felt very lonely the first night after you left. I've gotten so used to saying goodnight to you each night, it felt so strange that you weren't there._

Even though Severus was the only person in his office, a red hue rose up his neck. She had been thinking the same things he had that night! He felt warm, happy, at how much they missed one another.

Was it possible that the solitary days Severus had grown so accustomed to having would disappear in the near future?

He continued to read the rest of the letter, all the way to the closing. Written in her elegant and graceful penmanship: _With all my love, Hermione._

That very night Severus sat down to reply to her letter. He quickly discovered it would not be as easy a task as he had hoped. First, he wasn't sure how to start it. Dear Hermione? Hermione?

He had finally settled on going with Dear Hermione and then began on the first paragraph. Severus was certainly no Shakespeare, and had absolutely no experience writing love letters. It was hardly long at all before several crumbled pieces of parchment adorned the top of his desk and the said professor looked more like an angry man then a man in love!

Severus eventually managed, just barely, to write enough to be satisfactory.

Dear Hermione- I was very glad to see your letter. I wanted to write you, but seemed to find myself at a loss of words. Or more accurately, a loss of the English language, as nothing I had thought to write seemed to come out as well as I wished it too. I am very glad that all is well with you and everyone.

I still do not quite know what all to say to you, or how to say it in a letter. Letters are difficult; you have to infer the emotions or intended meanings behind things since you have no body language and such to go by. Sadly, I must admit that I am utterly lost when it comes to writing these things; and trust me it makes me very sad to admit that something is out of my element period!

I miss you as well in ways that I didn't know you could miss another. Your laughter and smile most of all, but also seeing you sleepy-eyed some mornings. Even those silly 'bear' pancakes you make!

I invite you to come visit me, and soon; I do not think my love-letter writing skills will become much better then they are at present! Say hello to everyone for me… S.S.

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Hermione let out a girlish squeal when she received the letter the next afternoon. She couldn't help but smile as she read it, giggling even at the semi-formal ending. Hermione hadn't expected vast declarations of love or sonnets to her beauty by any means.

In fact, she wasn't quite sure what she really had expected! What mattered was that he tried, and it was evident that he tried very hard but just couldn't quite get the hang of it.

"He's adorable," she said softly to herself at lunch.

Aralyn looked up from her plate in surprise. "Come again?"

Hermione's face flamed red.

"I have never, ever, heard anyone describe my brother as adorable." Aralyn looked a little shocked still, then started to laugh.

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Love letters turned out to not be nearly enough for Severus. He missed Hermione very much, and was also growing extremely irritated by little questions here and there from the staff about the two of them. A visit had been planned, but cancelled, when Maisie came down with a severe cold. All this combined made for a very cantankerous potions master come the first day of school.

"Severus," Minerva said softly, leaning towards the younger man at that evening's feast. "You are glaring at the first years again. They haven't even done anything, they just got here."

"Yes, I do happen to realize that I am glaring, thank you Minerva. I intend to keep on glaring, despite the fact that they have just arrived, and will glare at everyone before the meal is over," Severus replied curtly. He really wasn't in the mood to talk or to deal with the group of newly sorted Slytherins.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "I know you enjoy frightening them from the start into being good little first year students, but you are making even some of your older students squirm under that look of yours."

An eyebrow rose. "And your point would be what exactly?"

Giving a long-suffering sigh, Minerva shook her head. "Never mind Severus. Just try not to incite any panic attacks from the new students tonight, hmm?"

Severus responded only with a long-suffering sigh of his own. It was going to be a long term.

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After the feast, the prefects escorted the first years to their respective dormitories. Severus went to the Slytherin common room and waited for them to arrive. The older students milled about, having previously heard the start-of-term speech that was given every school year to the new students.

It was essentially the same speech year after year; Snape found very little reason to ever add to it or change it in any other way. It was effective and informative, as well as leaving little doubt as to where their head of house stood on things.

Most first years entered the school already knowing a bit about Severus Snape from their older siblings who were or had been in Slytherin. It never came as a surprise to Severus to see the group come into the common room and regard him nervously, suspiciously, some even looking at him in awe or fright.

So it was not an unusual sight in the least for the prefect to come into the common room leading the first years and see Severus Snape standing near the fireplace, arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face, dressed in his usual black attire.

He waited there by the fireplace, watching the first years file in and come towards him, a bit slowly for the most part. They may have been sorted into Slytherin, but they were still children after all, which meant it was perfectly normal for them to be apprehensive of him. In fact, that generally suited his purposely perfectly.

When all were sitting near the fireplace, making a haphazard circle around him, Severus began his speech. "I am Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin and Potions Master of this school. While you are here, each and every one of you are my responsibility as members of my house. I do not take this lightly, and I do not expect any of you to take it lightly either."

There was a pause for dramatic flare before continuing. "As Professor McGonagall has explained to you, we have House Points and a House Cup. There is absolutely no reason why our house cannot earn the House Cup through the accumulation of points. I will give points as they are deserved, but I will just as quickly take away points for misbehavior. Excessive loss of house points, either taken by myself or any other professor, will not be looked on in a positive manner."

Now Severus began to pace a bit in front of them. "I do not appreciate behavior that reflects negatively on this house. Slytherin is a very proud, intelligent house, and I expect each of you first years to remember that and act accordingly! The taking away of house points is merely one option when it comes to punishment, and I assure you I have other more unpleasant ways of dealing with students who repeat offenses or commit egregious offenses."

Several sets of eyes widened. Snape nodded ever so slightly in response to that; things never did seem to change, year after year.

"I will be expecting each and every one of you to do A work in Potions class. I will hear nothing to the contrary on what sorts of grades you feel you are capable of. Every one of you can get A's if you come to class and actually read the assignments, not to mention completing the homework as assigned. Slacking off of any sort will get no sympathy from me. You had best be in the hospital wing if you are not in my class, or points will be taken and detentions will be given."

Another pause, which gave Severus a chance to look at each of the new faces; he would put names to faces soon enough.

"The rules are extremely simple, at least if you all have the ability to use your heads, which may or may not be the case. One: You will do exactly as I say at all times. Two: do not do things that will bring slander against our house. Behave, and do not lose house points. Three: complete any and all Potions work, both in class and out.

The last, but most important rule is that at no time are you ever, ever to play a prank of any sort against me. For your own good I suggest you believe the things you have been told about me, because they are true and you will find that out first hand if you should try anything!"

A few gasps could be heard here and there. Those were quickly silenced as Snape glared long and hard at the students.

After a moment's silence, one hand came up.

A question? I rarely, if ever, get questions! This child will either be a complete nuisance to me or actually care about everything I've just said… "Yes?" Severus asked, and an eyebrow rose in a menacing way.

The child, a blond boy on the short side for his age, lowered his hand. "Sir, does that mean we can play pranks on other people, as long as it isn't you?"

Fighting the urge to both laugh and smirk at the same time, Snape schooled his face into that classic smirk of his. "If you must play pranks, I very strongly urge that you not get caught, particularly by another professor."

The boy actually grinned at Snape before falling silent.

This is either going to be a very good term, or a down right awful term, Severus reflected silently.

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After a night of completely undisturbed rest, Severus Snape was in no more of a good mood then the day before. His mood grew even darker when a decrepit owl by the name of Errol delivered a letter for him.

Errol, who was supposed to deliver a letter to him, was a flying catastrophe. He flew determinedly towards Severus; he cut a little too close to Minerva, so close in fact that Errol succeeded in knocking her hat off her head. The fiasco continued as the owl landed on the table and slid to a stop, but not before knocking an entire pitcher of syrup into Severus' lap.

"Bugger! Damn bloody bird! Damn it all! I _loathe _being sticky!" Severus shouted, sitting there with a lap full of syrup that was dripping all around his chair. He glared at Errol, whom was now perched near Dumbledore, happily nibbling on some food provided by the headmaster.

Minerva, pretending to look shocked by the expletives that came pouring out of Severus' mouth rather loudly, quickly took her wand out from in her robes and cleaned up the mess.

It was then Severus noticed the letter, now lying in a dish of butter, was addressed to him. "Any idea who owns that… thing?" he asked, waving a hand in the direction of Errol.

Dumbledore nodded. "The Weasley family. He does his best Severus, he is an old bird, and no one can avoid getting old."

_Trust Albus to know who owns the owl, and then scold me for being upset at unexpectedly getting bathed in syrup!_ Mentally Snape counted to ten, and then to twenty, and finally to thirty before feeling a bit more collected. _And what precisely do the Weasleys want with me? _

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A/N: YAY! Another chapter! I hope everyone loves this one as much as the others!


	21. Chapter 20

After stuffing the letter from the Weasleys into a hidden pocket inside his robes, Severus went about his day as growly and cantankerous as ever. Such disturbances at the first meal of the day did not predict an agreeable rest of the day! Between teaching, transporting two first year students to the hospital wing, handing out assignments (as well as several detentions) the letter was forgotten.

Or rather, it was forgotten until Severus finally had a moment to himself, after his last class and before supper. He sat down in his office with a frown, raking a hand haphazardly through his dark hair, and requesting- no, demanding -coffee from the house elf who had the unfortunate luck to respond to his summons!

Severus opened the letter and began to read it. '_Hello Severus, I hope this letter finds you well! I just wanted to let you know that Hermione's 20th birthday is on September 19. I wasn't sure if you knew when her birthday was, so I thought I'd mention it, giving you enough time to plan something…' _

The letter was, obviously, from Mrs. Weasley. Past the pointing out of Hermione's birthday, the letter added all sorts of tidbits of information about Hermione: her favorite color, her favorite meal, favorite flavor of ice cream and the like.

_I don't know which is worse- Mrs. Weasley's rather point blank directions of 'here is Hermione's birthday so you better plan something' or the incessant little questions and knowing looks from the Hogwarts staff, most notably Minerva and Albus! _Severus thought to himself, shaking his head.

After a few more moments thought on the matter, he decided they were both equally as irritating and interfering. Mrs. Weasley at least, had an excuse since she had been a second mother to Hermione for all of her Hogwarts years, and now being the only mother figure existing in his girlfriend's life.

Now all that was left was to plan something to do for Hermione's birthday. It had to be something special, but not over the top; something that she would enjoy very much. Last but not least, a present would have to be bought, or maybe several presents, depending on what he found that she might like.

_Looks like I'll have something to do while I chaperone the Hogsmeade excursion, _Severus thought. _If I am lucky, I'll be able to purchase everything I need from there. If not… _He now shuddered; if he was unlucky in Hogsmeade, it would mean a trip to London or some other muggle city, and Severus was not a fan of large cities.

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Aralyn looked sternly at the governess, hands on her hips. "You are taking tonight off and that is final! I can certainly manage my own children for the evening, and you deserve the night to yourself. In fact, go see my brother!" The woman nodded. "Yes, you are going to go see my brother, and I won't hear a word to the contrary."

Hermione, blushing, nodded. "Alright, I'll take the night, since you insist."

"That's better," Aralyn smiled. "And you're getting your entire birthday off, so find something nice to do, because I don't want to see you after breakfast that day."

The governess giggled and grinned. "I feel particularly unwanted," she teased.

"Hardly! I don't want you to work too hard, and everyone deserves some time off now and again, especially on birthdays. Now go, shoo! Don't come back before 9 at the very earliest."

"Yes ma'am!" Hermione replied with another giggle.

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Aralyn finally pushed, figuratively speaking, Hermione out of the house just before 6pm. Hermione was heading for Hogwarts to do exactly as Aralyn had instructed: visit Severus. Not like that was a difficult decision to make.

A whole school week had gone by now, it was Friday night, and the last letters exchanged had been on Wednesday. Hermione apparated near Hogwarts gates, and made her way through the grounds and up to the castle. Remembering Hogwarts schedule quite well, she knew that supper would be just beginning; the food always appeared promptly at 6 pm.

Assuming that Severus would be eating at the teachers table, she headed for the Great Hall. Once she arrived there, she stood outside the door, hesitating. _Should I go in and walk up to the teachers table? Should I stand in the back and signal him, or wait for him to see me? Should I wait out here until after the meal?_

After a few moments debate, Hermione entered the Great Hall and stood along the back wall in an area that should be within Severus' line of sight.

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"Minerva, that is absolutely absurd," Severus said, an eyebrow now raised. "What exactly would be my motivation for granting Slytherins permission to play pranks on people? That would defeat the entire purpose of striving for the house cup."

He watched as Minerva turned her head and took notice of something. Following where she was looking, he spotted Hermione in the back. "Excuse me," Severus mumbled, quickly getting up from the table.

Minerva smiled a motherly smile and shared a knowing look with Albus. The headmaster's eyes twinkled, and he nodded at her.

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Hermione's heart pounded hard and fast inside her chest as Severus strode towards her, smiling at him as he did so. A Slytherin girl gave a giggle, sensing romance. Severus stopped just long enough to glare at her until she squirmed in her seat before proceeding.

Without a word, Severus took Hermione's arm and escorted her outside the Great Hall. As soon as the door shut behind them, he swept her, weightless, into his arms and smothered her lips with demanding mastery.

Her face now flushed, Hermione smiled at him. "Surprise," she said. "Your sister ordered me to take the night off and I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend my free evening then visiting you. I hope I haven't ruined your supper now."

"To hell with supper," Severus responded with all seriousness. "Interrupt me anytime; I insist." He looked down both directions of the hallway before claiming her lips once again, causing Hermione to feel a warm glow flow through her body.

"Let's go to my chambers; I'll have the house elves bring us something to eat." Severus felt his heart beat harder and faster as Hermione nodded and gently squeezed his hand.

"I've missed you," Hermione said almost shyly.

"And I you, if you didn't already grasp that," Severus replied with a playful sort of smirk on his face.

She smiled and nodded, replying in a teasing tone, "Yes, I had noticed that, but only a little bit."

An eyebrow rose, and a mischievous smirk came over his face. "Only a little? Hmm, I do believe I'll have to remedy that," he whispered in her ear, his voice heavy and his breath warm.

Hermione's breath quickened and her cheeks became warm. She smiled and it made his heart stop for the briefest of seconds. _That smile, that look, is entirely too captivating for my own good, _he decided.

"And I do believe I'd like that very much," she whispered back with a smirk of her own.

They continued on in silence, still holding each other's hand, until reaching Severus' dungeon chambers. As he held the door open for her, Hermione looked around his living quarters with surprise.

"You look stunned," Severus smirked.

"A bit, yes. I expected to see black everywhere," she admitted, shivering a bit from the chill of the dungeons.

"Sit, I'll start a fire and then request some supper for us," he instructed, guiding her with a gentle hand on the small of her back to a winged chair near the fireplace.

Hermione dutifully sat in the soft, comfy chair. It was silver in color, with a matching chair just across from it. The room itself was done in tones of silver, with the couch black leather. Book shelves lined the walls, filled with books both old and new that seemed to be inviting her to look through them.

"You may browse my shelves another time," Severus interrupted her musings. "Tonight, there will be no books for you," he told her sternly.

"Oh?" she replied evenly, her curiosity aroused by his tone.

Severus nodded. "Surely you would find me much more interesting to talk to then the books?"

She laughed, the sound like bubbles of joy. "Well, you do have me there! But, I don't want to sit here."

"Where would you like to sit?" His sharp eyes watched her intently.

She crossed the room, settling into the black leather couch and patting the seat next to her. "I want to sit here, and I want you to sit next to me!"

"Demanding thing, aren't you?" Severus quipped, acquiescing to her request.

Hermione shook her head. "Not in the least. I'm cold and I'll certainly warm up faster if you hold me." Her eyes twinkled as she continued. "Also, because I missed you too, just a teeny bit."

A smile vied on Severus' lips, finally winning and he gave her a soft, small smile. "Well, I had best warm you up then," he responded in a calm tone. Severus gathered her into his arms where he held her tight. When Hermione snuggled tightly against him, he felt his heartbeat skyrocket for the umpteenth time since her arrival.

For a moment, they sat that way in silence, enjoying the closeness with one another. "I like your chambers," Hermione commented after a moment. "They seem very cozy and the colors go very well together."

"I'm so pleased that you approve," Severus said with a wink. A moment later their supper arrived, and the conversation fell silent again while they ate.

"What's your favorite dessert?"

Severus paused. "Why?"

"Because I want to know; I want to know all about you, everything," Hermione told him seriously. "I just figured I would start with the basics first instead of jumping straight into heavier things."

He nodded. "That seems reasonable. The answer is chocolate mousse. And yours would be…?"

"Cheesecake with strawberries on it. What's your favorite color? What's your favorite book and do you even have a favorite? When is your birthday?"

"Slow down," Severus admonished, shaking his head. "My favorite color is, contrary to the public opinion of it being black, green and in particular, emerald green. I do have a favorite book, it is an antique now, but it was a book given to me by my maternal grandfather. It was about potions of course. And, my birthday is January 9th and I am right around twenty years older then you. Now, you answer all the same questions!"

She laughed, and moved against him to snuggle once more, resting her head against his chest. Severus was acutely aware of her body's warmth as she pressed against him. It was a struggle for him to keep focused on what she was saying, and keep the thoughts of what he would like to do, both to her and with her, completely take over his mind.

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"Oh wow, it's nearly eleven," Hermione said softly, looking at the clock. "I should probably go…" Her voice trailed off, and she frowned slightly. She didn't want to go!

Sure, she had to be up early in the morning, as did Severus, but she didn't feel like she wanted to go. She was so comfortable and safe and happy. Being with Severus always made her feel things that were still rather new to her. This, tonight, felt different then those other times.

_It feels like…Well, it feels like… like home I guess, _Hermione thought quietly.

"What are you thinking?" Severus questioned quietly. "From the look on your face it had to be something good."

Hermione blushed a bit. "Well, I was just thinking that I should leave, but also I suppose don't really want to."

"You're more then welcome to stay." Now it was Severus' turn to be embarrassed and hints of red crept up his neck. "That I mean… What I mean is that you are welcome to stay later… I wasn't inviting you to…" He coughed, and the color crept up his face now. "I wasn't inviting you to stay the night."

Hermione giggled and grinned. "I know," she assured him, giving him a peck on the cheek. "That isn't how things are with us. Maybe someday it will be. I knew what you meant, don't be embarrassed."

Severus scowled. "I am not embarrassed, I am never embarrassed," he asserted.

"And so your face turns red because…?"

"Never mind," he said with a long-suffering sigh.

"I suppose I really should go," she said again after a moment more had passed. "We both have very early mornings. I'll see you very soon I hope."

Severus nodded in response. "I hope so as well."

Hermione looked away for a second before asking, "Am I able to floo back to Aralyn's from your fireplace?"

"Yes you could. Or I could walk you out to the gates and you could apparate back."

"I'd like that," she decided.

As they walked hand in hand to the gates of Hogwarts grounds, Hermione began to shiver slightly. "I knew I should have worn a sweater. Oh well, next time I'll know."

Severus stopped in his tracks and began taking off his black outer robe.

"Don't be silly, I just have to pop back to Aralyn's and the gate isn't that far away," she protested.

"_You _should not be silly, Hermione," Severus replied rather sternly. "As if I do not have an abundance of black outer robes, considering that is all I am ever really seen in."

"Well, that may be true, but…"

Severus shook his head. "No, there is no but about it," he told her, wrapping the robe around her. "You will wear this and be warm."

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "Do I have to remind you, yet again, that I am not a student, Severus? That you have absolutely no reason to be telling me what to do?" Her eyes twinkled as she half-scolded him.

"I have every reason Hermione Granger. You are my girlfriend. It is part of my role to take care of you at times, the same as it is for you. If I were cold, can you honestly say that you wouldn't insist I put on a sweater or cover up in a blanket?" Severus easily replied.

For a moment, Severus was unsure what exactly Hermione would say to his very serious answer. Then, she smiled.

"That was a very good answer," she told him.

Severus chuckled softly. "I am oh-so-glad you approve," he teased.

Just then, both noticed that they had arrived at the gates and it was time for Hermione to apparate away. The night air was chilly, but neither of them noticed it then. All they noticed was each other.

"I'm going to miss you," Hermione said softly, looking more downward then at Severus.

Severus reached out and gently cupped her face with his hand. "I will miss you as well. In fact, I am missing you already."

Hermione waited for him to kiss her, and her whole body seemed to be waiting for it as well. This time, she didn't let him make the move. In one quick, forward motion her arms were around Severus' neck and his arms encircled her body, clasping her tightly to him.

She pressed her lips against his, sending a shock wave through Severus' body. Severus took the intensity of her kiss and responded with an almost savage intensity of his own. They kissed as if they might devour one another.

When the kisses ended, due to the need to breathe, Hermione could feel his hot breath on her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

Raising her head and gazing deep into his eyes, Hermione whispered, "And I love you."

At last, with great reluctance written on both their faces, they parted inch by inch until they were disentangled from one another.

"Good night Severus," Hermione whispered.

Severus nodded and whispered back, "Good night Hermione."

A few seconds later, she was gone from him, and back in Aralyn's yard.

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A/N: I beg continued loyalty to my story, even though it has taken an eternity for an update! When you lose that inspiration to write, it is really a horrible thing: you want to write, but your body and brain can't seem to function when you try! I am hoping things will be better now, school is driving me mad as always, and I seem to write better and more frequently under pressure since it is such a great stress reliever. Love to all my readers, please PLEASE keep reading and reviewing!


	22. Chapter 21

"Severus, are you feeling well?" Minerva inquired the morning of the Hogsmeade excursion.

An eyebrow arched. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Well… You aren't complaining about being the escort this time for the students. Normally you are very… disgruntled about it," the older professor stated.

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're prying again."

"We are?" Dumbledore piped up.

He younger man scowled darkly at both professors. "Yes, you both are! Do I need to start taking every meal in my chambers, or will the two of you ever learn to control yourselves?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "All we want is some details Severus. We're curious because you are our friend."

_Damn him and those twinkling eyes! _Severus thought to himself. "I absolutely refuse to indulge your childish whims and curiosities," he announced. "No amount of goading, flattering or anything else you two can come up with will make me tell you before I am good and ready."

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After arriving with the students, Severus took off on his own around Hogsmeade, perusing the familiar stores. He ventured first into a store that sold robes. Robes were a nice, practical gift. _Does she want practical gifts? _His suspicion was that Hermione would want gifts that were useful. The bigger question was if he wanted to get her nothing but practical gifts.

Hermione was turning out to be a little harder to buy for then he had originally planned. She wasn't, to his knowledge, interested in big fluffy, lacey frivolities. After looking over the available colors of robes, Severus finally settled on a sky blue.

Holding the package under his arm, he strolled around Hogsmeade. _What the bloody hell do you buy your sweetheart? _Severus wondered, growling with frustration. _It just shouldn't be this complex!_

Severus tried the book store next and had success there, purchasing four different books. He then strode towards a ladies shop that sold perfume, some sort of items for hair, and an assortment of other odds and ends. He stopped just outside of it, debating if he really wanted to go inside. From the window, the entire store seemed to be drowning in pink, flowers, and lace.

_Well, I suppose we all have to make sacrifices… _

Looking around briefly to make sure no students saw him enter this world of womanly goods, Severus pushed the door open and entered the shop. He was assailed immediately with several strong scents, one clearly baby power, one was rose, and the others were undistinguishable. He covered his mouth and coughed a few times.

"Can I help you sir?" A smiling young woman asked as she walked towards him. Severus found himself surprised to find that the only pink items she had on were a pink apron and earrings.

"Yes, you _may _help me," Severus responded, correcting her grammar out of a long standing habit. Those sorts of habits came with the territory of being a teacher, particularly with as many grammar errors as he corrected on the work of most of his dunderhead students.

The worker blushed slightly as he corrected her, but continued to try and be helpful all the same. "Did you have anything in mind that you were looking for?"

Severus nodded. "I am looking for some perfume that is not obnoxiously overwhelming, perhaps along the lines of a lavender or violet scent. Also, perhaps some of that soap…" His mind blanked on what to call it. It was fancier then soap, yet served the same purpose.

"Yes sir, we have several different sets of perfumes and body washes of the same scent. We don't have any violet or lavender, but we have something I think you'll like just as well. Follow me, please."

Following the worker through the store, which was much larger then it appeared from the outside, Severus was brought to an area of basket sets of body washes and other female items.

With a smile, the worker pointed out a specific basket. "This set is the one I am thinking of sir. It is a warm vanilla sugar scent; it's not really strong, but it still smells very nicely."

Severus nodded, and then gave a slight cough. "I have never purchased items like these before, is it customary to be able to smell some of the product to know if its one I wish to have?" He watched the woman closely for any signs of laughing. Severus hated it when people laughed at him!

To his great appreciation, the worker merely smiled. "Yes, that is something our male purchasers do, the ones that are not too terrified to enter the store, that is."

He smirked to himself as she grabbed a small bottle labeled 'tester'. She opened the top of it and held it out towards him. "This is the perfume, but all the products in the basket will have the same scent."

The warm vanilla fragrance sold Severus on the basket of goods. When it came time for the worker to ring the order and give him the total, Severus gave her three sickles too many.

"You gave me too much," she told him, holding out the sickles.

"I know," Severus replied. "That is your tip."

The woman paused. "Tips aren't required sir."

Severus gave her a curt nod. "I realize that. However, you have been extremely helpful, as well as very polite and knowledgeable about these… items. I feel very confident now that the woman I intend to give these to will like them a great deal. I insist you keep it, but have one request."

"Okay," she said, cocking her head to the side. "What is that?"

"Don't tell anyone that I tipped you, and don't spread the word that I was here in the first place."

As Severus left the store with the basket shrunk down and in his pocket, it finally dawned on the young woman who exactly her rather interesting customer had been.

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The days until Hermione's birthday were shrouded in mystery. Or at least they were for Hermione. Severus had enlisted the help of his sister and Ginny Longbottom for the birthday party. It was the first time Severus had ever planned a party for someone and didn't really trust his own abilities to make it a success.

Secret invitations were sent and the menu approved by Mrs. Weasley, who was determined to not allow Severus to hire caterers. Nobody even mentioned that her birthday was coming. Hermione knew better then to think it had been forgotten, but she was definitely curious about what was going on!

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The morning of Hermione's birthday dawned sunny and warm, the whole world outside her window looking cheerful. The young governess sighed happily as she stood at the window. By the looks of things, this was going to be a lovely Saturday. If only she knew what all was planned; not even the little girls had said a word about it!

She sat on the window seat and smiled to herself. She had no idea how long she just sat there and looked at the world, as if she was starting over. And in a way, Hermione was starting over. Everything would be new this next year of her life. Her and Severus, Ginny's baby, other Weasley babies, the sweet girls she cared for and their tiny brother.

A persistent knocking turned her attention away from the window and towards her door. "Come in," she answered.

Mere seconds later, three very excited little girls flew into the bedroom and threw their arms around their beloved governess. "Happy birthday, happy birthday!"

Hermione grinned and pulled the girls close, kissing each of their heads. "Thank you," she responded. "What are my favorite girls doing up so very early?"

"We was excited," Hailey explained.

Lynessa nodded. "Yep! We could hardly sleep!"

"Should we get a little more sleep?" Hermione asked. "We could all pile in my bed and sleep for just a bit longer."

"Only if you sleep in the middle," Maisie decided. "So we can all snuggle you."

The governess chuckled, knowing that with three girls there would be no true middle. "I'll do my best," she vowed.

The four of them crawled into the bed, the little ones snuggling close to Hermione. Lynessa, the least sleepy of them all, ended up on the outer side of the bed, but Hermione made sure to reach over and hold her hand. Within moments, the four of them were fast asleep, and didn't hear the click of Aralyn's camera as she took a picture.

"Uncle's coming, I see him!" Lynessa shouted as she peered out the window a few hours later.

Hailey had the front door open before anyone could say a word and she launched herself at Severus, who managed to scoop her up before she ran right into him. "Hello to you too," he greeted her, an eyebrow arched.

"Hello!" Hailey giggled and kissed his cheek. "Did you come to take Hermy away for the day?"

Severus nodded and tousled her hair. "I did indeed. Do you think she is ready?"

Hailey giggled. "She didn't know you was coming, so maybe not!"

"We'll just have to go surprise her then…"

Throwing open the door, Severus burst into the house. "Now look here women! Keep your monkeys from bothering other people! I found this monkey here running wild in the yard! Disgraceful!" He shouted.

Hailey giggled as he set her down and Lynessa took her turn getting hugged and Maisie too. By the time Severus finished greeting his little nieces, Hermione was in the living room looking very shocked.

"Severus! I wasn't expecting you!"

He smirked. "Clearly. Go and get ready, we're going out."

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Are we? Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Laughing softly, Hermione went over to Severus and wrapped her arms around his neck, greeting him with a kiss. "I won't take long," she assured him before dashing up the stairs.

True to her word, Hermione came back downstairs in 15 minutes. Her hair was pulled back and into an up do held with a clip in the shape of a butterfly and she was dressed in a simple pair of white capri pants with a yellow sweater.

"Have fun and _do not _hurry back," Aralyn told them both as they readied to leave.

"It almost sounds like you are getting rid of me," Hermione responded with a laugh.

Aralyn shook her head. "Hardly! But no work for you, just a nice work-free day for your birthday, so be sure and enjoy it."

"I will make sure she does," Severus said with a wink. He placed a hand on the small of Hermione's back and gently guided her towards the door. With hurried goodbyes, he and Hermione were on their way.

"How has your birthday been so far?" Severus asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as she put her hand into his.

"It's been great so far. I'm very curious to see where you are taking me."

He looked at her with a smirk. "You will be very surprised indeed, Hermione." Severus stopped walking and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, "Hold tight." Seconds later, they had apparated to what seemed to be hilly farm land.

"Your surprise isn't here, exactly. Since we are going to be among muggles, it was better to apparate to a place out of the way."

Hermione smiled. "I was wondering why you looked particularly muggle today."

His dark eyebrow arched mischievously. "I do happen to own more then black robes, missy."

"Do you now? I'm hardly surprised by your choice of a black pull over and," she faked a gasp. "Black pants."

Rolling his eyes, Severus couldn't help but chuckle. "Smart alec," he scolded, giving her hand a squeeze.

Hermione was distracted from retorting by what she saw across the way. It was a band, on a stage, with a mass of people gathered around it. "You're taking me to a concert?" she gasped.

"Mhm; a redheaded bird told me you were fond of this singer, Corinne something or other. Whatever her name is, I procured us tickets to this outdoor concert of hers," Severus explained.

Glancing at her, Severus was struck by how she looked. Hermione was radiant, smiling, and gorgeous. Her face glowed and her eyes shined; he was captivated by her. It was undeniable that she, in whole, could completely devastate his cold and reserved façade.

As he continued to gaze at her, he was nearly caught off guard when she let out a girlish squeal and threw her arms around him. In a single motion, Severus had swept her into his arms and wrapped them around her midriff, lifting her off the ground.

Hermione's breath was warm and soft against his face as she leaned forward and pressed her open lips to his. A wave of desire and arousal shot through Severus. He savored the sweetness of her kiss, feeling an intimacy in those kisses that was almost dreamy and mystical. He returned her kiss with one of his own, a kiss of hunger and want, so unlike his outer appearance of absolute calm and control.

Breaking only for air, Severus gently kissed along her jaw. When he finally set her down on the ground, Hermione felt almost weak and out of breath, her chest heaving.

"We'll miss the beginning if we don't get over there," Severus whispered into her ear. He took her hand in his own and pressed a soft kiss on her palm before leading her towards the concert as Hermione's mind and body swirled with passion.

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A/N:

Alright everyone, here you go! Yay! Part of the next chapter is already written so hopefully I will be updating here shortly. Thank you to all my lovely, patient readers who haven't abandoned my story. I love you all dearly!

( I am assuming the sickles are worth 2 US dollars each just because, LOL).


	23. Chapter 22

Corinne Bailey Rae's soft, sweet voice filled the air as Hermione and Severus joined the crowd of concert attendees. Hermione smiled happily, squeezing his hand lightly. _Well, at least this is a good singer. I won't have to suffer through this after all! _Severus thought, returning the hand squeeze.

All around them, people were softly swaying to the beat of the song and waving their hands in the air. Everyone was standing, most tapping their toes if they weren't already swaying or dancing.

"This is so amazing Severus," Hermione gushed. She was still astonished that they were there, having not pegged Severus as a concert-going sort of person.

His dark head nodded in response. "It is; I was hoping it would be." Severus smiled at her, feeling quite calm (much calmer then he had anticipated feeling). Normally, this sort of thing would be something to be avoided.

"You're going to spoil me, you know," Hermione pointed out with a twinkle in her eye.

"Am I? Oh well, I am not the least concerned," Severus told her with a smirk.

Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"I'm quite certain I can put you in your place fast enough."

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, her face growing red. "And what place would that be?"

Severus pulled her close against his chest. "In my arms," he whispered in her ear. "Spoiled, happy, stubborn, and everything else."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before her expression lightened once again. "I do hope that you aren't one of those men who want their woman to be bare foot and pregnant in the kitchen."

Severus quickly shook his head. "Oh no." He put a finger gently against her lips. "I want a woman who is my equal. Someone I can debate with, have intelligent conversations with on many different subjects, who can hold her own and isn't afraid to defend herself, and, last but not least, a woman with a kind and gentle spirit."

She smiled as he moved his finger. "That is a rather tall order, good sir." Her eyes twinkled in a rather mischevious manner.

"Tall order or no, you fit the order perfectly," Severus assured her. "And, you are not required to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. In fact, when you are pregnant, I will cater to your every need with absolute joy."

Shock flew through Hermione, her eyes widening in astonishment. He made it sound as if he was absolutely certain that she would be pregnant with his child sometime in the future.

With an eyebrow arched, Severus looked intently at her, baffled by the startled look on her face. "Is something amiss?" he asked after a moment. "You look perplexed."

"You said 'when'," Hermione replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

It occurred to Severus, once she pointed it out, that he had said 'when' versus saying 'someday' or 'if.' He began to feel quite shocked himself. Doubts swirled in his mind, as they always did when he thought of possible fatherhood.

"Yes, I did." The appearance of being calm and collected was nothing more then a mask to cover his haunting fears.

As Hermione opened her mouth to say something further, Severus quickly distracted her. Putting an arm around her waist and squeezing her affectionately, he looked deep in her eyes. "Let's dance…"

_There's no need to discuss the thoughts of marriage and babies on her birthday, _Severus mentally told himself. He began to slow dance with Hermione, as several other couples were already doing. _There are better days for discussing bitter memories and fears. There is so little that she truly knows about me… _He absolutely refused to think of the possibility that knowing everything would cause Hermione to turn away from him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - -

If Hermione noticed his quiet demeanor as the concert went on, she didn't comment on it. For that, Severus was immensely relieved.

As the concert ended and Corinne Bailey Rae waved goodbye to her audience, Severus and Hermione were among those clapping and cheering the loudest. "I take it you're a fan now?" Hermione teased.

"Yes, I am; I'm just as surprised as you," Severus admitted. "I am very glad you had such a wonderful time."

I did," she assured him with a smile. "It was a lovely birthday gift."

Smirking, he declined to say anything else regarding gifts, since he had more ready for her at her party.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A roar of "SURPRISE!" greeted the couple as they apparated back to Aralyn's yard. Hermione gasped and looked around the yard at all her friends and 'family', as well as balloons, streamers, gifts and cake.

"This is too much, all of you!" Hermione said, her eyes starting to grow misty.

"It is not," Severus said. "And you better enjoy this party, it's the first I've ever given. So enjoy it, or I'll…"

Hermione looked at him with amused wonder. "You'll…?"

The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of Severus' mouth. He leaned down, putting a hand on both her shoulders, and whispered. "If you do not enjoy this party, Hermione Granger, I will give you a birthday spanking. Right out here. In front of everyone."

His face betrayed nothing to the crowd of what he whispered in his girlfriend's ear. His girlfriend on the other hand, gave a soft gasp.

"You… Severus you wouldn't do that," Hermione whispered. She was very surprised by him, and decided Severus was much more unpredictable then she had ever before imagined.

Severus' dark eyebrows arched mischievously. "I would indeed," he assured her, brushing a kiss on her temple. "Care to test me and find out?"

Hermione's cheeks felt warm as they blushed furiously and her pulse quickened. She did not respond as everyone around them began to clap and cheer, thinking she was embarrassed by the public display of affectionate whispering and kissing.

"Don't be embarrassed Hermione," Luna told her, practically bounding over. "Love is a wonderful thing, written in the stars. Do not fight the stars."

She turned to her friend and laughed softly. "Alright, I won't fight the stars." Hermione then looked at the rest of the group. "Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate! Let's get started, hm? Cake or presents first?"

"CAKE!" Her three little charges screeched in near unison.

"Lunch!" The mothers in the group decided.

The little girls pouted and Hermione was quick to try and diffuse any tantrums. "We don't want upset tummies from cake. Your mum is right, lunch should be first."

"Upset tummy makes me cry," Hailey responded, seeing the logic of Hermione's thinking.

Severus winked at Hermione before scooping up Maisie and tossing her over his shoulder. _Hermione will make a wonderful mother someday…_

"Heeeeeey!" Maisie squealed, a huge grin on her face.

"Now Maisie, hay is for horses," Severus told her with a straight face. "Not for little girls." He tickled her side and gave Hailey and Lynessa mock stern looks. "Time to eat rascals."

The 'rascals' merely stuck their tongues out at him and ran off towards the food table, leaving Severus rolling his eyes as he followed with Maisie. "Such naughty children you've raised, sister dear."

"Yes, far too much like you for my taste," Aralyn responded with a smile while Severus gave a rather undignified snort.

"Oh my goodness, look at you!" Hermione squealed, moving quickly past Severus and Aralyn. She hurried over to where little Cassie Weasley was now toddling around. "Oh my, you're walking so good Cassie, yay!" Hermione clapped her hands sitting down near the toddler.

Cassie gave a grin and clapped her hands along with Hermione, babbling happily. She shouted happily and pointed at Fred as he came to sit by Hermione.

"Complete daddy's girl you know," Fred told Hermione with a look of great pride.

"I can tell." She watched as Cassie toddled as fast as her wee legs would let her over to Fred.

"DA!" The toddler screeched, diving at Fred as soon as she was near him. Fred easily caught her and bounced her in his arms. "I bet you're hungry little love, let's get you some food."

With a wistful look and matching sigh, Hermione watched them head off to towards the food, Cassie talking and waving her arms excitedly the whole time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"This one's from ME!" Lynessa said proudly, handing Hermione a badly wrapped and over-taped package.

Hermione grinned at her. "Thank you!" She worked for a second or so before being able to actually get the package open. The wrapping revealed a soft, baby blue colored teddy bear.

"It'll match your room! I checked!" Lynessa bounced over and hugged Hermione.

The governess giggled softly and hugged her charge. "You did a wonderful job matching, sweetheart. Thank you so much."

So far, Hermione had received a beautiful yellow bathrobe from Arthur and Molly and a set of picture frames from Luna and Fred. There was a large box of chocolate bonbons from Ginny and Neville, a gift certificate good for one free book of her choice at Flourish and Blotts from Aralyn. Charlie (and his wife) had owled her a card, while Bill and Fleur (currently on their honeymoon) had owled her a set of beautiful stationary. From Angelina and George, she received a gift certificate from Honeydukes.

Setting the blue teddy bear with the rest of her gifts, she reached for another of her packages. She had her gifts from Severus left, as well as gifts from Maisie and Hailey.

Hermione grinned at Hailey as she chose the package from her littlest charge to open first. Inside the glittery purple bag she found a box of coloring crayons and a book to color in.

"I picked it myself Hermy," Hailey told her with a giggle. "Its got princesses in there and unicorns and everything!"

Kissing Hailey's head, Hermione gave a smile. "It looks like a lot of fun. I hope you'll help me color all the pretty pictures."

The little blonde head bobbed up and down. "Sure! That'll be fun! Yay!" She gave Hermione a huge hug and then bounced over to Severus, plopping herself in his lap with an impish grin.

Severus growled and tickled her, then turned a real growl on Molly Weasley who had just taken their picture. Molly completely ignored his rather disgruntled look and trademark growl, and flashed a smile at him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Severus and Hermione sat on the porch swing a few hours later. Severus had helped with the clean up, assisting his sister and Molly Weasley. He had then helped clean up his nieces, who were dirty from playing outside and had cake crumbs on their faces. Finally, the guests were all gone, and everything was cleaned up, and now he could steal a few moments alone with his love.

"Did you have a good birthday?" Severus asked, gently stroking her hair. Hermione was sitting in his lap, leaning lightly against his chest, her face tilted towards his. He could see in the early evening light, that her face was clear, relaxed; no shadows of anxiety marred her natural beauty.

Hermione flashed him a smile that was alive with the delight of the day. "It was an amazing birthday," she was quick to assure him. "The best I have had in such a very long time."

Tenderly, her eyes melted into his. "Thank you, for everything. You did far too much," Hermione reiterated. "But I love you for it."

Severus gently tucked a stray strand of soft hair behind her ear. "I did not do too much. I merely did what you deserved to have."

Her face flushed with pleasure and she wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand going into his dark hair.

"I love you so much," she whispered into his ear. The sound of her voice caused his heart to turn over in response.

"And I love you," Severus whispered into her hair, cupping the back of her head with his hand. He kissed the tip of her nose, then her eyes, and finally her mouth, capturing it with his own, making the air around them seem electrified.

Hermione leaned into the contours of his body as he gave her a series of slow kisses that made her want to shiver. They were the kind of kisses that could consume a person's soul.

When they parted, her face was flush with excitement.

"Happy birthday Hermione," Severus said sincerely, the greatest love shining in his eyes. "Now…" He paused as a mischievous look crept over his face. "About that birthday spanking…"

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A/N: Yay! A new chapter! Woo hoo! Anyone interested in a bonus chapter where Hermione gets her birthday spanking? Hee hee! If you are, let me know and I will email you the 'bonus' chapter. If enough people request it, I will even post it with the regular chapters here. Thank you (as always) to all my reviewers!


	24. Chapter 22 Bonus Segment

A/N: I asked readers to respond via reviews as to whether they wished to be emailed a 'bonus' chapter where Hermione gets her birthday spanking. Due to overwhelming responses and much eagerness to see this chapter, I have decided to just go ahead and post it here on the site. Enjoy everyone! And please, pretty please, leave feedback telling me what you think of this!

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"Happy birthday Hermione," Severus said sincerely, the greatest love shining in his eyes. "Now…" He paused as a mischievous look crept over his face. "About that birthday spanking…"

Hermione looked at him with surprise, before biting back a giggle. _Surely, he isn't serious! _Or at least she attempted to bite back giggles; when that failed, she brought a hand to her mouth. That too failed, and soon her softly, gentle laughter rippled through the air.

A flash of humor crossed his face. "Whatever you may be thinking, my dear, do not think that I am merely teasing," Severus warned.

Her eyebrows rose in amazement. "Now Severus! Be serious!"

"I am," Severus assured her with a nod. "Come on." He nudged her to her feet then took her by the wrist.

"Severus!" Hermione gasped. Her eyes went wide, a glint of wonder in them.

"Hush," he replied with cool authority. He gave her one of his best 'stern professor' looks for a brief moment. Then, an indulgent glint appeared in his eyes, and he winked at her broadly.

With her mouth partly open in shock, Hermione allowed him to pull her gently across his lap…

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"Mummy!" Lynessa called out. She was standing at her window, peering down at the porch.

Aralyn came to stand beside her daughter and ruffled the honey colored hair. "Yes love?"

"What are Uncle and Hermy doing?"

Looking where Nessa pointed, Aralyn spotted the couple sitting on her porch swing. Or rather, one was sitting and the other… Severus had Hermione across his lap! What was going on out there?

With a shake of her head, Aralyn decided she didn't want to know. "I'm not sure sweetheart. Ask uncle, hmm?"

Nessa shrugged and nodded. "Okay mummy!"

Aralyn kissed her daughter's hair before shutting the blinds of the window.

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He guided her across his knees with an air of expertise that made Hermione both curious and (just a bit) anxious. _He certainly seems to know what he's doing… This isn't supposed to hurt, I don't think…_

Had Hermione been looking, she would have seen a grin of amusement on Severus' face. The grin quickly morphed into a look of absolutely deviant delight. His right hand gently massaged her neck as he looked at her stretched out form across his thighs. Slowly, the hand moved down her spine, with feather light touches; then, his hand rested on her bottom in an almost ominous manner.

She squirmed slightly at the ticklish touches that sent a shiver down her spine. Hermione let out the tiniest gasp as his hand rested on her bottom and then rubbed it gently. "Severus?"

The man in question stilled his hand. "Yes?" He wiped the look of amusement off his face and replaced it with a smirk as she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

"This isn't going to hurt, right?"

Severus chuckled. "No; birthday spankings aren't meant to hurt. Spankings that hurt are given for naughty behavior." He paused, slowly quirking an eyebrow. "Have you been naughty Hermione?" Her watched her face bloom vivid scarlet.

"Nope," Hermione assured him with a firm shake of her head. Feeling a bit more mischevious now that she had made sure this was going to be playful, she gave him a cheeky grin and stated, "Not yet anyway…"

Amusement twinkled in his eyes as they met hers. The corners of Severus' mouth began to twitch, and then he threw back his head and laughed a deep rich laugh. "Oh, you are a minx aren't you?" he teased, giving the seat of her capris a pinch.

"Ooh!" She yelped and promptly stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't push me young lady," Severus teased, wagging a finger at her. "You're getting too cheeky for your own good!"

Hermione couldn't control her burst of laughter. It rang joyously, and her smile reached her eyes. "While I am quite sure you are having a grand time staring at my bum, not to mention feeling it up, I thought I was over your lap for birthday spanking?"

Severus nodded. "Indeed. Getting a bit anxious with your bum in the air?" He pinched her lightly again, chuckling as she let out a little squeal. "So, Miss Hermione Granger; exactly how old are you now?"

Hermione snickered. "Dearest, are you so old that you have forgotten already the big numbers written on my cake?"

_Smack!_

She jumped slightly. "Severus!" It hadn't hurt as much as it had surprised her.

"That one doesn't count," he told her, already rubbing away the slight sting. "I did warn you about your cheekiness. Will you cooperate now and tell me your age?"

Hermione wiggled, purposely, just to annoy him (among other things). "Twenty."

"Twenty," Severus repeated. "Well then you will get twenty swats, one for every year, and then an extra one to grow on. Ready?"

Looking over her shoulder once more, one fine eyebrow arched. "This isn't the first time you given somebody a spanking, is it?"

The trademark Snape smirk spread across Severus' face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She nodded eagerly. "I would!"

"That, my dear, is for me to know; and possibly, someday, for you to find out." His comment was ambiguous, yet confirmed just enough for Hermione's mind to start trying to figure it out.

_Smack! Smack!_

Snape's hand landed lightly on the seat of her capris (which her shapely bum filled out quite nicely!) with just enough force to be noticeable and create a bit of warmth where his hand landed but not actually hurt.

"Three… _smack… _four… _smack…"_ Severus kept count, his voice low and deep.

Hermione bit her lip to suppress giggles. This was all so silly, and yet quite fun at the same time. "Oww," she whined playfully after the eleventh smack.

"Oh hush!" Severus teased, giving her a slightly sterner smack. "Twelve."

She wriggled and squirmed, trying to make it harder for him, grinning the entire time.

"Hold on now, you aren't going anywhere," Severus told her with a chuckle. "You really are a minx, Hermione Granger!"

"Oh, I know it!" Hermione flashed a bratty grin, even if he couldn't see it.

"_Smack… _Nineteen… _smack…_twenty…" Severus paused, lightly rubbing her bottom once again. "Ready for the last one, birthday girl?"

"Bring it on old man!" She challenged with a laugh.

_SMACK!_ Hermione jumped; that one had actually hurt.

"Twenty-one," Severus told her, rubbing once again. "Did you survive, birthday girl?"

She sniffled playfully. "I suppose." As Severus turned her right side up, she smiled softly at him. "I survived. Thank you for a wonderful birthday."

Severus brushed his lips against hers. "You are most welcome."

"So… Is this going to become a regular occurrence or something? You certainly seemed to know what you were doing," Hermione pointed out, a hint of color creeping up her neck.

Severus paused, looking as though he were weighing the question. "You will just have to see," he decided, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.

Hermione's laughter was carried off by the wind. She relaxed into his cushioning embrace that was so strong, so manly, so very, very right.


	25. Chapter 23

"Seventy points, Severus? _Seventy_?" Minerva McGonagall questioned her younger colleague. The witch looked anything but pleased.

The Potions Master didn't look any happier. "Am I not allowed to eat a meal, Minerva, without you pestering me with something? Now it's the points, yesterday it was the detention with Filch, the day before it was Hermione. Should I start taking meals in my office to be able to digest them properly?"

Minerva was not the least bit intimidated by his tone or the quirked eyebrow and returned his look with a stern look of her own.

"You do realize, Minerva, that that look of yours ceased to have any effect the moment I graduated?" Severus quipped with a smirk. While that was not entirely true, he enjoyed annoying her just as much as she enjoyed annoying him.

Truthfully, he had still found Minerva rather intimidating the first three or four years he had taught here. It had been amazingly difficult to stop feeling like he was in trouble for something when she gave him that look!

"Seventy points is terribly harsh, Severus, even for you."

"And how many points would _you _take, Minerva, if my Slytherins were attempting to break into your office?"

The older woman scowled, knowing that Severus was right; however, just because he was right didn't mean that she had to be happy about it!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hermione and her four charges entered the Great Hall. Balancing Adam, she still managed to give a slight wave in Severus' direction. "Now girls, let's not run—Too late," the governess said with a sigh.

Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables looked over at the suddenly quiet Slytherin table, wondering what was wrong. Most students didn't care any longer about Hermione and Severus, but today there was something definitely catching their attention.

"UNCLE!!" Three small girls screeched the word at the top of their lungs before running full force towards the teacher's table.

By this time, Severus had stood up, intending to find out what was distracting nearly every one of his Slytherins. He heard the screech and just barely saw the girls before all three of them launched themselves at him.

Seconds later, a loud "OOF" was heard as the Potions Master fell over in a rather undignified manner, having been bowled over by his nieces that he had been attempting to catch. Snape's neck began to grow red at the entire situation and grew redder still as nearly everyone in the Great Hall began to laugh.

Who would have imagined a scene like this? Severus Snape lying on the floor on his back, with a child sitting on his chest and two others sitting beside him, gazing eagerly at him.

"Hello to you too," Severus grunted. "Hailey, get off my chest please."

"Why?" the precocious girl asked.

"Because you are making breathing rather difficult at this precise moment!"

"Ooh!" Hailey giggled and got up. She promptly sat by his head and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Severus sat up, finding it very difficult to look evil with his nieces crawling all over him! "What the bloody hell are you girls doing here? If you came all by yourselves, I swear…"

Lynessa gasped. "You swore Uncle Severus! You're gonna get your mouth washed out!"

Rolling his eyes, Severus stood up, ignoring her comment completely. "Answer the question, young ladies!"

Maisie frowned at him. "You are really cranky Uncle."

"Hermy brought us of course silly billy!" Hailey giggled, hugging his leg once more.

"Hermione's here? Thank Merlin!" Severus scooped Hailey up and looked at Lynessa and Maisie. "Come girls, let's go find her." He began to stalk towards the back of the Great Hall, causing the girls to run to keep up at him.

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Hermione's jaw had dropped as she watched the scene unfold near the teacher's table. As Severus stalked back towards her, she looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry Severus," she said quietly. "I tried to tell them not to do that. They took off before I could even finish."

"Apparently," Severus said with a sigh. "Come on, let's all go to my chambers. I'll have supper brought there."

"Don't be mad Uncle," Hailey said with a pout. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "We just love you lots and lots."

Another sigh escaped the grumpy man's lips. "I know Hailey. You just took me by surprise, and embarrassed me a bit," he explained.

"Sorry," Lynessa piped up. "We didn't mean to. We just missed you." Her sisters nodded their heads in agreement.

Severus wanted to be upset, wanted to scold them, but damn it if they just weren't so cute! That and they were rather little. Maisie was the oldest at seven, the other two younger. They didn't understand that he had a reputation to uphold here.

"It's alright girls," he said softly. Severus didn't miss the beautiful smile that Hermione shot him. "Now, what brings almost all my favorite girls and my favorite boy here tonight?"

"Aralyn had a friend come and get her for a nice evening of shopping and dinner, so we decided to come visit you," Hermione explained. "Your favorite girls missed you very much," she added softly.

Little Adam gurgled in her arms. "And Adam missed you too," Hermione laughed.

"He's grown quite a bit, hasn't he?" Severus said, looking at his nephew. "Awfully big for someone that's not even a year old."

"They grow very fast, like little weeds," she commented.

Maisie shook her head. "Not uh, not like weeds. Girls grow like little _flowers. _And boys grow like… uh… grass! Yeah, grass!"

Severus laughed out loud, than looked around the hallway to make sure no one was seeing him be happy. Wouldn't be good for his image.

"Alright little flowers and little boy grass, let's have something to eat. Inside with you lot." Severus opened the door of his chambers and held it open for them. "Find a seat, get comfortable. Don't play with things unless you ask first; I don't want to have to get after you girls."

His three nieces nodded their heads and took a seat on the couch, looking as angelic as they possibly could. Severus nearly snorted, but of course he didn't, as that would be rather undignified. As much as he loved his nieces, he knew darn well that they weren't angels; no child was.

After briefly discussing what everyone wanted to eat, Severus summoned a house elf that was more than happy to bring a large meal to Master Snape and his nice guests.

"So how old are you, young Mr. Adam?" Severus questioned, taking the gurgling little boy from Hermione. "Nearly three months, I believe."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "October first will be three months. And someone else has a birthday coming up…"

"Me! Me! I'm gonna be FIVE!" Hailey practically shouted with excitement. Her birthday came just before All Hallows Eve, on the twenty-eighth.

"Oh my, you'll be quite the grown up girl," Severus said indulgently. "What would a five year old girl like for her birthday? If I have to go buy dolls, Hermione is coming with me."

Laughing, Hermione shook her head. "I think I can manage that. What would you like, love?"

Hailey beamed at the adults. "A PONY!" she shouted excitedly. "Please?"

Severus and Hermione both chuckled. "I'll have to talk to your mum first, so in the mean time you think of some other things you'd like in case she says no."

She nodded, thrilled at the idea that her uncle was going to try and get her a pony!

The food arrived just a moment later and distracted everyone other than Adam (as he didn't get any yummy grown up food!) for several minutes.

"Are you glad we came, Uncle Severus?" Maisie asked.

Severus winked at her and nodded. "I am. It was a nice surprise, even if you three did run me over."

This time everyone, even Severus, laughed at what had happened in the Great Hall. "I can only imagine the questions people are going to have and pester me with after tonight. Oh well, I'll merely frighten them away with my scowl as always!"

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It was hardly surprising as the evening went on that the little ones grew sleepy. Severus smiled down at his nephew that was sleeping soundly in his arms and looked at each of his nieces. Hailey and Maisie were cuddled together on the couch and Lynessa was asleep on Hermione's lap.

"I think I might need help getting these sweethearts home," Hermione commented.

Severus chuckled quietly. "I think that you will. I'll help you get them home, maybe even stay for a cup of tea if a beautiful woman were to ask me to stay."

Hermione smiled at him. "I would love to invite you for tea. I'm not sure when Aralyn will be home, but its not like she'll mind. It's only 9:15, but definitely bedtime for the girls."

"Did you bring one of those… carrying contraptions for Adam?" Severus asked, looking around.

"It's shrunken down in my pocket." Hermione retrieved the shrunken baby seat and handed it to Severus. She watched the Potions Master enlarge the seat to its proper size and carefully put the baby boy into it and cover him with his blanket.

"I'll have to wake Maisie," Severus explained. "She is old enough to hold on and hold on tight to apparate back. The other girls can sleep and be carried. If you can take Lynessa, I can manage Hailey and Adam's carrier."

She nodded. "I think I can manage her just fine. None of the girls are very heavy."

A moment later, after some whispered and rubbing of her arm, Maisie was awake enough to walk with Hermione and Severus past the castle grounds. "Be sure and hold onto my leg tightly," Severus cautioned her. He smiled at her nodding. "Here we go."

The group apparated to Aralyn's yard, the act of doing so waking up both Hailey and Lynessa. Severus and Hermione led the group into the house.

"Adam is still asleep, let's let him sleep in his carrier for now, the girls need to be tucked in," Hermione commented, smiling at Severus.

"I want Uncle to tuck me in," Hailey said with a yawn.

Maisie nodded. "Me too!"

Severus chuckled. "Alright then monkeys, go get yourselves ready for bed. All three of you."

The girls grinned and headed upstairs to change into their pajamas and brush their teeth.

As they did that, Hermione brought Adam up to Aralyn's room and put him in his crib, smiling as she watched him, his chest falling and rising. Babies really were so amazing. She couldn't wait to have babies with Severus someday. The idea of it brought a slight blush to her cheeks. After another moment, she left the room and headed towards Nessa's room to tuck her in.

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Severus and Hermione met in the kitchen after all the little one's were tucked into bed. Hermione was putting on a pot of water to make tea when he entered and she flashed him a smile. "I thought you might stay a while," she commented. "Would you like some tea?"

The potions master gave a dramatic sigh. "I _suppose _I could stay…"

Hermione looked down at the kettle, not realizing he was being facetious. "Well, if you have things to do at Hogwarts, obviously I understand."

Severus quickly crossed the room and turned her to face him, caressing her cheek with his hand. "I was teasing," he told her. "I would love to stay. I was hoping you'd invite me."

He laughed as Hermione playfully slapped his arm and he in turn kissed her nose. "I will take some tea if the offer is still good."

"Of course it is. I love having you around," Hermione said sincerely. She took out two mugs, as well as cream and sugar, not missing that his eyes followed her every step. She turned to him, smirking ever so slightly. "See something you like?"

"Mmhm," Severus replied. "Something I like _very _much." He couldn't help but chuckle as her face blushed. "Such a modest girl; a very rare find these days. Yet another reason to count myself lucky."

"It is no luck, Severus Snape," Hermione said firmly. "It is you and you alone that has drawn me to you. You're irresistible, everything that you are."

Now it was Severus' turn to blush. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I hope you know how much I care about you."

Hermione nodded, taking his hands in hers. "Tell me anyway; please."

His gaze traveled over her face, searching her eyes, until Hermione felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not always very skilled at putting my emotions into words," Severus told her quietly. "I've spent most of a lifetime keeping my emotions and feelings very carefully bottled up. Yet somehow they all come to light and don't seem nearly as dangerous when you are around. You, Hermione, are the sun in my sky. figuratively speaking of course. I obviously don't go out in the sun much."

As he spoke, Hermione felt as though she was being wrapped snuggly in a silk cocoon of love and joy. His last comment made her laugh, and she threw her arms around him. "Oh Severus, you are absolutely adorable and you don't even know it!"

She kissed him gently and sweetly, as tender and light as a summer's breeze. His hand moved to cradle her neck, his other arm encircling her midriff. Severus leaned her back ever so slightly, and she instinctively tipped her head back.

He began to trail slow, soft kisses along her jaw, almost as if he was traveling and the destination was her soft, pink lips. Severus could feel her melt against him, her soft curves molding against his body.

Suddenly he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the living room, where he sat down and promptly sat her on his lap. They sat there silently, looking deep into each other's eyes.

Hermione was the first to break the silence. "Severus?"

"Yes?" The potions master kissed her cheek, a hand running through her hair.

"I love you so much," she whispered.

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A/N: At long last, it is here! Good lord, who would have thought? I seriously wondered if my muse was ever going to return to me again. Thankfully it did, and hopefully it will stick around for a while! Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read and review, despite the long waits at times!


	26. Chapter 24

_I absolutely must secure your help, Hermione. I am completely lost on what to buy a five- year old girl. My sister has sent me a list in past years for the girls but has neglected to this year. The party is only four days away, as I am sure you know. Please say you'll come shopping with me Hermione! Don't force me to buy dollies on my own! And is she still talking about a pony? Merlin I hope not. I can't get her that. Even if I wanted to, my sister would murder me…Alright, so all those reasons and I just plain miss you as well. Please?_

_SS_

When Hermione received the owl from the obviously desperate Severus, she couldn't help but giggle. He really did sound absolutely clueless! That, and she just could not picture him going into a toy store and looking through the baby dolls and all kinds of accessories. Or rather, she couldn't see him doing that alone. After all, would Severus Snape _really _go into a toy store by himself? He had a reputation to uphold, after all!

A note was quickly returned to her beloved and plans were arranged for the next afternoon, the shopping excursion ending with a quiet dinner just the two of them. Both felt as though they couldn't get enough time with one another since the term had begun.

When Hermione apparated to just outside Hogwarts grounds, Severus was already there waiting for her. He looked particularly glum, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Bad day?" she asked as she approached him.

Severus shook his head. "I'm maintaining my image, to the group over there." He indicated a group of girls sitting on the grounds with their books.

"They look rather harmless," Hermione said with a smile.

"Oh, they are. One of them is a Slytherin, a first year, who asked me this morning if it was my job to ruin everyone's fun," he said with a chuckle. "I asked her what she thought of the matter. She responded by saying that it must be part of my job, and I do it very well.

"So naturally, when I passed the group to come out and meet you, I stopped to remind them that I am here to ruin all their fun and so they weren't allowed to have any until I left."

Hermione giggled, giving him a beautiful smile. "Will it ruin your image if I kiss you?"

His answer was not a verbal one. He leaned down slightly, his lips feather-touching hers with a tantalizing persuasion, encouraging her to respond.

Hermione did just that, parting her lips and raising herself almost on tiptoe to meet his kiss. There was a dreamy sort of intimacy to their kisses, as though their souls were merging through those kisses.

"Does that answer meet your satisfaction?" His whispered question was a velvet murmur in her ear.

"Most definitely," she replied. "Though I do suggest that we get ourselves to the toy store before we become anymore sidetracked. You may kiss me to your heart's content after our excursion."

A devilish look crossed Severus's face. "Oh, I can, can I?"

"You can, and I insist that you do," she responded with a smirk. "Though I am sure no insisting will be necessary."

"Absolutely no insisting will be needed, my dear," Severus told her. He lightly squeezed her hand, then raised that hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

His ladylove sighed softly, happily. "Severus, you are unbelievably romantic. I never would have suspected you being a closet romantic, but I certainly enjoy every second of it."

"Life can be full of surprises, if only you open your eyes. Sometimes they don't need to be fully open, the surprise is so stunning. Other times, you have to look closely, but the surprises are there, waiting to be found. Similar to you," Severus responded quietly. He looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to look into Hermione's very soul.

The effect of his look wasn't lost on Hermione, who shivered slightly as it seemed to wash over her entire body.

"Are you cold?"

With a smile, Hermione shook her head. "No. It's just you, and what you do to me."

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"So she really still wants that pony?" Severus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "How am I supposed to accomplish that?"

Hermione smiled. "That is your job to figure out. I do, however, have an idea that doesn't involve getting a pony."

"I'm open to anything not involving ponies!" Severus exclaimed. "What is it?"

"Simple. A kitten. Hailey would adore a kitten and completely forget about the pony. Plus, she's old enough to help take care of the kitten."

Severus nodded. "That's a thought; an excellent thought in fact. What did you get her?"

"I haven't gotten her anything as yet, so we'll still need to stop into the toy store. I've been really busy with the girls and haven't had a chance to get away for shopping until you sent me your desperate owl."

He laughed loudly. "I suppose I did sound rather desperate, didn't I?"

"Try extremely desperate," Hermione replied with a smirk. "But very sweet as well. I like to know that you miss me when we aren't together."

"Of course I miss you when we aren't together," he replied softly, gazing into her beautiful eyes. The dazzling smile she rewarded him with made Severus' heart beat fast.

"Let's acquire the kitten and its supplies after dinner. I don't think anyone will want us in their restaurant with the kitten."

Hermione giggled quietly. "No, I suppose they wouldn't. That sounds good to me. So toy store, dinner, pet shop."

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After picking out her gift for Hailey, Hermione and Severus made their way to the restaurant they had chosen, a cozy little Italian place. The restaurant was busy with activity, but not crowded, something Hermione knew that Severus preferred though she didn't exactly know why.

They frequented this particular restaurant often enough to be known by most of the staff, and the patrons no longer stared in shock at them. Imagine, Severus Snape with a former student, _dating_! How the gossips had loved to watch at first. When it became clear that the couple wasn't going to do anything out of the ordinary, the gossips lost interest.

"So who all is going to be at this party?" Severus asked after ordering a bottle of wine.

"The usual," Hermione stated. "Cassie Weasley, Teddy Lupin, Michael and Melody Wood, who are already six! And Bill and Fleur are bringing Victoire. Can you even imagine that their baby was three years old before they finally got to go on a honeymoon? Crazy isn't it?

"So not too large of a crowd, just enough to make it noisy for the grown ups and a blast for Hailey."

Severus nodded. "I had forgotten that my sister and Nymphadora were good friends. How old is her and Lupin's boy? Three, four?"

"Four. He's a sweetheart, really quiet and shy but very smart. He's very well behaved, or at least he has been when he's come visiting with his mum and dad." Hermione neglected to mention the tension that existed between her and Remus. Perhaps more accurately was that Hermione perceived tension between them.

Remus Lupin certainly wouldn't be the first to disapprove of her and Severus. As of yet, he hadn't said anything, but Hermione was sure he was displeased with her moving on from Harry only to 'hook up,' as the saying went, with the man that had long been seen as an enemy of Harry's.

Severus was watching her and didn't miss the clenching of her jaw that accompanied her thoughts. "Is something wrong, Hermione?"

She was quickly brought back to reality at the sound of his voice. "Oh, no, nothing's wrong." Hermione forced a nonchalant smile onto her face.

He eyed her closely, knowing she was fibbing. "Tell me what's wrong," he said firmly. "Because I know there _is _something."

"Lupin loved Harry very much, like a son in fact. He was also very supportive of Harry and myself as a couple. I haven't really spoken with him since word got around that you and I were a couple. Not that he has ignored me or I him, we just haven't run into each other anywhere," Hermione explained slowly.

"And?" His quirked eyebrow compelled her to continue.

"I'm not sure how he feels about us, Severus. Not that his opinion will trump what we have by any means, but… it's important to me that Lupin at least be alright with it. I'm not exactly sure why," she admitted. "Or maybe it's that I don't want an encounter with him to turn into a debacle like all encounters with Ron did."

Severus nodded, considering her words. "I can understand that. Ron was a fiasco that never should have been. Despite my difference with Lupin, I've always taken him as being a rather level headed sort of man."

"I hope so. Especially since it will be Hailey's day and not a day that needs drama. I certainly don't need his approval, but I don't need him prying or thinking badly of me. I am happy with my choice. I loved Harry, but you and I… Harry and I were not the way you and I are. We are true love, real love," she added.

"And you don't wish people to interpret you and I being together as a way of dishonoring Potter—Harry's memory, correct?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, yes that's it exactly!"

The waiter arrived with their bottle of wine and poured both of them a glass. The conversation turned away from its topic to a better one: when their next date should be and what they should do.

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Just as the sun was beginning to set, Severus and Hermione emerged from the pet store. All the cat accessories had been shrunk and put into Snape's pockets while Hermione held the kitten. It was gray and had several black stripes across its back.

"Oh Severus, you'll be the hit of the party," Hermione declared. "Hailey will think you are the best ever for giving her this pretty little kitty. Such a sweet little kitty!"

The man chuckled. "Maybe I should buy you a kitten as well? You seem quite taken with that one."

His lovely companion smiled and shook her head. Hermione's eyes caught sight of something and she tugged on Severus' hand slightly for her to come with him. She walked over to a shop window and stopped to admire the items in the window.

In the window was a baby bassinet, with sheets and blankets on it. They were cream colored and had little animals on them that made noises. Hermione looked longingly at the bassinet and gave a soft sigh.

"I can hardly wait to have a baby of my own," she said very softly. "I'm looking forward to being a mummy very much. Are you looking forward to being a daddy someday?"

Severus cleared his throat, unsure if he liked where this conversation was heading. "Possibly. That's not something we need to worry about right now."

Something in his tone made Hermione give him a perplexed look. "What do you mean? You've mentioned babies before, even hinted rather strongly- if not outright saying- at our own babies. I'm confused."

The man ran his hand through his hair. "It's very complicated Hermione, and extremely personal and difficult. I'd prefer not to discuss it just now."

"Are you telling me you don't want babies? That those things you said before aren't how you really feel?" Her voice was both urgent and demanding, as was the look on her face.

"There's a great deal about me that you are not aware of," Severus tried to explain. "Things that are very difficult for me to talk about. My sister might be able to shed some light for you. I'm not saying no, we won't have babies, I'm saying…"

"You're saying something is so personal that you cannot tell me, your girlfriend who loves you more than life. However, your sister knows, and should be able to tell me. I don't want to hear it from your sister, Severus Snape! Whatever it is, it won't change my feeling about you, ever!" Hermione shouted.

"What kind of relationship do we have if you are keeping things from me because you don't feel comfortable sharing them? I am not going to ask your sister anything, Severus Snape! If you ever want me to speak to you again, I suggest you grow a pair and tell me whatever it is that you are hiding!"

The young woman put the kitten in his arms and apparated away, leaving Severus standing there with only the kitten's meowing to break the silence.

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A/N: Any guesses on what Severus is hiding and why he is sounding so unsure about children? I have the plan for the next chapter set up, but I can't promise it will arrive before December 15th, as I have two term papers due on the 7th and finals right after. But it will arrive within the month of December! Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review, you are THE best ever!


	27. Chapter 25

It was a visibly upset Hermione that returned to the Laurent home. She didn't understand what there could possibly be that Severus couldn't tell her. She wasn't a child who needed to be sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. Hermione was a woman who had faced fear and death, looked it straight in the eyes, and lived to see another day.

People were often nervous about having children, and of course she would have understood had that been the case. However, Severus seemed to be hinting at something much deeper than nervousness.

What Hermione was most frustrated about were the comments he had made, about when she herself was pregnant, and wanting to have a little one like Cassie Weasley. Why would he make comments such as those if he really didn't want children at all?

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Four heads looked over at the door when Hermione entered, tears on her face. "Hermione?" Aralyn asked. "You're so early…"

"Oh Hermy, are you hurted?" Hailey asked, running over to her governess. "Tell me where, I'll kiss it better like mummy does, I promise." The little girl threw herself around Hermione's legs, hugging them tightly, her cherubic face full of concern.

"No sweetums, I'm not hurt," Hermione said softly. "I'm just upset is all."

"Can we make it better with chocolate?" Maisie asked. "I always feel better after I eat some chocolate, because it's so yummy."

Obviously, chocolate was not really going to soothe her, but Hermione couldn't resist the little girls, so anxious to be helpful. "We can try and make it better with chocolate," she said, giving the girls a smile. "Will you run and get some, love?" She watched as her oldest charge sprinted off towards the kitchen.

Lynessa hurried over to stand beside her sister and Hermione. "What can I do? I wanna help too, please?"

"Ice cream!" Hailey decided, clapping her hands and licking her lips. "Ice cream is the best!"

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. "Well, maybe just the chocolate for now Hailey. We don't have to have sick tummies from too many sweets, because we'd be very sad then."

"Oooh," the little girl said slowly. "Yeah, I cry when my tummy is sick, so that's a bad idea."

"I know what will cheer me up," Hermione said. "Us girlies should get our pajamas on, bring the chocolate, and snuggle up together in my bed while I read some stories. How does that sound?"

"Can we sleep in your bed?" Lynessa questioned. "And how many books are you gonna- I mean _going to_ read to us Hermy?"

Hermione grinned brightly and hugged Nessa close. "Nessa, that was great, did you hear yourself? How you corrected your grammar? You have been listening in lessons after all!"

The governess was quite pleased to both praise her young student and avoid the question of the girls sleeping in her bed. If she let them, she might not ever get out and have a moment to talk or think about the evening's events.

Nessa snickered and gave the woman a cheeky grin. "Only when I feel like it."

"MAISIE!" Hailey screamed. "COME FASTER WE'RE GONNA SNUGGLE IN HERMY'S BED AND YOU'RE SO SLOW!"

"Shhhh!" Hermione and Aralyn responded in unison. "Not so loud, your little brother is sleeping," Aralyn stated.

The little girl just smiled at both women and zoomed off to her room to change into pajamas with her sisters following suit. It was then Aralyn shot Hermione a look one that was far too similar to a look Severus might give, with the words "We'll talk later," accompanying it.

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Despite the cute pouts and pleas of the three girls, Hermione and Aralyn tucked all three of them into their own beds. The two women finally had the house to themselves, all four Laurent children in bed. Putting an arm around her shoulders, Aralyn guided Hermione to the kitchen for a 'talk'.

"Tea?" Aralyn asked. "I have peppermint, earl gray, and chamomile. Or, if you want more chocolate, I have some cocoa."

"Chamomile sounds good," Hermione decided. "It's a very soothing tea, or at least I've always found it soothing." Though she tried to sound interested in conversing, her tone was quiet and subdued, so unlike her normal self.

Aralyn put the kettle on for their tea and sat down at the table, looking concerned for her employee and friend. "So what happened tonight between you and Severus? You looked very upset when you came home."

Hermione's face flushed and she let out a soft sigh. "I don't know exactly. I'm frustrated and confused by him right now. I can't imagine there would be anything he couldn't tell me. I mean, I love him, and he loves me. Nothing he could ever say would change that, and he should know that by now."

The older of the two women nodded. "Severus does tend to have that effect on people at times. Maybe I can help you understand him. He's very odd at times, and he does tend to keep things to himself. He's always been that way."

Hermione's brow unconsciously furrowed as she related the evening's incident and some of the comments Severus had made to her previously. "And, he told me to talk to you, that you could explain it. No offense, but I don't want to hear about something from you. I want him to trust me enough to tell me."

She didn't miss the look of understanding that dawned Aralyn's face. "You know exactly what it is he wouldn't tell me, don't you? Just like he said you would," Hermione said incredulously.

"I do," Aralyn admitted in a resigned tone. "And you're right, you shouldn't hear it from me. He needs to tell you, the woman he loves, himself. I will, however, ask that you give him a little patience. One, men are sometimes incredibly stupid. Two, this 'thing' is a pretty significant thing, one that he does not easily talk about.

"I honestly don't believe anyone besides myself knows it. I will talk to him, encourage him to tell you himself, but he may need some time to ready himself for speaking about it."

A look of concern and discomfort fell over Hermione's face. "Whatever he's not telling me, it's something very serious, isn't it?"

Aralyn hesitated a moment before giving an affirmative nod. "It is. What I can and will tell you is that it is not life threatening, so please don't worry that it is. I will have a chat with Severus about this whole thing, try and encourage him as best I can."

Hermione's pale face flushed pink. "I hate to put you in the middle of it," she said quietly.

The other woman waved a hand. "He's my brother, I'll always be involved in things he does!"

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Aralyn flooed to Severus' chambers shortly after talking with Hermione. She didn't want something like this to break up the relationship between her brother and the governess; a relationship that she knew (even if they didn't yet) would last forever. She wanted nothing but happiness for Hermione and Severus, yet the realization that they would soon share something that she very much missed sharing with her husband made things slightly bitter sweet for her.

It was hardly a surprise to find that Severus was not in his chambers. There was, however, one surprise in plain view. A little gray kitten meowed pitifully under the stuffed chair, having been startled from her nap by Aralyn's entrance. "Hello little kitty, you're brand new I bet. You'll get used to floo soon, I promise."

A few moments later, Severus looked up at his door with a look of surprise. Rarely did someone come see him through the door that connected his office and chambers! "Ah, Aralyn. Come to scold me, I'm sure," he said glumly, gesturing for her to take a seat somewhere. "Want something to drink before you get started?"

The woman shook her head, laughing softly. "Severus, I'm not here to scold you. I'm here to help! You and Hermione both need it! So stop looking at me like I'm about to ring a peal over your head."

A dark eyebrow quirked. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time you've decided I needed to be told what was what."

His sister rolled her eyes and took a seat. "Spare me the suspicion, brother. You've got a problem, and I have a solution."

"That'd be a first," Severus retorted with a teasing smirk.

"Severus, I talked with Hermione," Aralyn stated, getting right to the business at hand. "And trust me, I know exactly what it was you wouldn't tell her and why. However, Hermione is in the dark and thinks you've been leading her on."

The man groaned loudly. "I was afraid of that. Though why she thought I'd discuss something personal in the middle of the street is beyond me."

"You _could_ have handled it a bit better, and skipped the part about telling her to ask me. That would have helped a lot. She doesn't know what it is and why you haven't told her, Severus. You need to sit down with her and tell her before this goes any further."

"I suppose you're right," Severus admitted, scowling at the idea of himself not being right. "Her question about children was so pointed, it caught me off guard. I haven't been leading her on by any means, and I think she'd make a wonderful mother. The problem isn't with her. As you know, the problem is with me."

"The problem, dear brother, is that you're an idiot," Aralyn said sharply. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You don't trust yourself like you should. If you were going to be just like _him_, it would have shown up long ago. Sure, you have a temper and it can be quite vicious at times, but you are not a violent man, Severus. You don't hurt people and feel happy or right about doing it!"

Severus scowled darkly. "Aralyn, you do not know that. You don't know what kind of man I could be given the right situation."

"You seem to forget that you used to baby-sit me, once upon a time. You certainly were never out of line with me, no matter how much I pushed you. Loud, scolding, handing out punishments, yes. Crossing that clearly defined line, no."

"You're my sister, that's entirely different," Severus argued.

Aralyn gave a rather undignified snort. "If you were like him, Severus, there wouldn't be a reprieve granted to me because I was your sister. I would have been in the line of fire, same as your child would, same as students here would be. But you aren't like him, and you need to wake up and realize that. You can have a nasty temper without being violent and cruel! You are the most vexing man there is! It's no wonder I married a quiet, nerdy fellow like Adam!"

Severus laughed quietly. "Yes, Adam was a more quiet man. Very bright, I enjoyed all the times we'd sit and talk about things, intellectual things. He was quite easy going with life, and worshipped you and the girls."

Aralyn sighed softly; she missed him so much sometimes! She stood up and walked towards Severus when he crooked his finger, beckoning her over. A look of surprise crossed her face when Severus pulled her down to sit on his lap.

"I'm sorry, Ara," he whispered. "I'm so sorry he won't be coming back."

"He died a hero," Aralyn stated firmly as she leaned back against Severus' chest. "He died making the wizarding world safe for our babies to grow up in. He was a fighter, he hung on as long as he could, when he came home, hurt. He didn't die _in _battle, but he died from the wounds he received in battled. That doesn't make him any less a hero than if he died instantly."

"I agree one hundred percent," Severus replied. "He was a good man."

"And so are you," she stated firmly. "So are you. You can think whatever you'd like, have as much anxieties as you wish, but whether or not you believe it doesn't change it. You. Are. A. Good. Man."

---------------------------------------------

The next morning two owls, one tawny and one black, crossed paths on the way to deliver the letters they were carrying. The tawny owl arrived at Hogwarts, dropping its letter onto the table beside Severus Snape.

The dark haired man immediately recognized the owl as his sister's. Allowing the owl to eat some of his bacon, Severus opened the missive from the Laurent house.

_Severus: Your sister keeps assuring me that this isn't what I think it is. I am having a hard time imaging what else it could be. I don't like feeling this. I don't like being angry with you and feeling like I'm not trust worthy or important enough for you to share something with me. It hurts, it really does. Maybe I'm being silly and blowing things out of proportion. Please, don't shut me out of parts of your life Severus. I love you and I know you are a good man, and nothing you can tell me will change the way I feel about you. Please, Severus, please don't break my heart. Please let me inside your heart and trust me. Don't push me away; don't be afraid to tell me things, anything. With love, your Hermione._

-----------------------------------------

A similar letter arrived at the Laurent household via Snape's black owl. The letter landed in Hermione's lap, and she looked at it, hesitating for a moment before opening it.

_Please don't think that I don't trust you Hermione. It was neither the time nor the place for me to tell you what you asked me to. It was never about my not intending to tell you, I promise you that. Would you be willing to come have supper with me, in my chambers, so we can discuss all this and set things to rights? Please, say yes Hermione… Severus_

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A/N: Next part should be up, hopefully, not too long from now. Forgive my lateness as always, and I love all of you and your continued support!


	28. Chapter 26

Severus sat in his favorite chair by the fireplace with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was staring at the food laid out in covered trays on the coffee table. Food that would be stone cold by now had it not been for the warming spell.

That morning he'd received a note from Hermione, letting him know that she was going to come have supper with him, and then they'd talk. She had said in her note that she would be there at 6pm. It was now 7:45pm and there had been no further notes from Hermione or any activity from the Floo Network.

It was obvious that she was standing him up and had no intention of coming. The thought was a terrible one for Severus. He loved her. He _really_ loved her, more than he'd even realized until this evening came and he was sitting alone waiting for her to show. Severus hated the idea that without meaning too, he'd completely messed up the only good thing in his life, aside from his sister and her children.

At 8pm Severus finally uncovered the supper that the house elves had brought. It was warm and smelled like it had just been made moments ago instead of being made just before 6 o'clock. He had just dished up a mound of mashed potatoes when there was a knock at his chamber door.

He got up and crossed the room, frowning, having no desire whatsoever to be disturbed right know, no matter what the cause. Severus yanked the door open and stopped short.

"You came," Severus said quietly, an eyebrow raised.

Hermione nodded, unsure of his mood considering the look she'd seen on his face when he'd opened the door. "Sorry I'm late. Adam was really fusing and Hailey wouldn't go to sleep and Lynessa has a cold," she hurriedly explained. "Things got very busy very quickly. I came as soon as I could."

Severus nodded, watching her closely. "I thought you'd changed your mind. I was just dishing up to eat. Are you hungry?"

He felt nervous, which was an odd thing for him. Severus was a confident man, or at least appeared to always be confident to others, and most of the time he was. This was one of those times he definitely wasn't.

Hermione accepted his invitation and dished up a plate for herself before sitting down in the seat across from his. "I'll admit, I don't know what to say. I feel hurt that you've kept something from me. I thought you knew you could trust me with anything."

"I can and do," Severus assured her, his voice hushed yet heavy with barely hidden emotions. "This is just far more personal and difficult for me to deal with. It's not something easy to talk about, Hermione, and yet we've come to the road where we need to talk about it. You should know what you might get yourself into."

"Severus, _please_." A tinge of exasperation came into her voice. "Just tell me. Stop dancing around the issue. The sooner you tell me, the sooner you can stop being anxious about it. I'm certainly not so fragile that I'm going to break or blush at anything you have to tell me. Though I _will_ become annoyed if this edging around it continues."

She was direct and forward, Severus mentally mused, something he appreciated in people. She also had a good point. He needed to get it over with.

"Having a severe temper runs in my family," Severus began, his voice dull and troubled. "Both my parents had extremely hot tempers, and members on both sides of their families did as well."

"_That_ is what you wanted to tell me?" Hermione interrupted, sounding incredulous. "That's been rather apparent, Severus, considering I had you as a teacher and saw it first hand on a nearly daily basis!"

Severus scowled, his face dark, anger growing in his eyes. "Be quiet," he told her firmly. "I'm not finished! Every story has a beginning, Hermione. Forgive me for my life story having one that you already knew."

She opened her mouth to object to the scolding he'd just delivered, but something in his eyes gave her pause, so she said nothing and allowed him to continue.

Seeing that Hermione was going to let him at least finish a thought before interrupting again, he continued. "My father's temper was much worse than anyone else's in the family. He was quick to anger, much like I am, but immediately lashed out physically. I was the only child my parents had, so nothing I ever went without scrutiny and even when I had nothing to do with something, things seemed to be my fault all the same."

Hermione's brow furrowed unconsciously. She had a horrible sinking feeling that she knew exactly where this was going. She'd have never suspected it before, but now it seemed the only logical conclusion to draw. At least until he continued and confirmed or denied her suspicions.

"I spent a great deal of time in my father's study, being… 'disciplined' as he called it. It was not your average discipline by any means. My father had a cane that he loved using, but wasn't above using other items from time to time. He was a very angry, brutal man, and I was a convenient target for him to beat his aggressions out on, to the point of leaving bruises and welts and scars. It was used on my behind, on my legs, back and arms. Not necessarily all at one time, but I've got scars on all those areas." He was unable to suppress a shiver of vivid recollections of trips to the study.

Severus looked into her eyes, trying to judge her reaction to all this. He could see unspoken pain alive and glowing in her eyes, and instantly became concerned. It didn't dawn on Severus that the pain in her eyes was because his childhood saddened her so and pained her heart.

Without a word, Hermione put down her plate, jumped out of the chair, took his plate away from him and wrapped her arms around him. She held onto him tightly, finding herself at a loss of words to comfort him, so she held onto him in silence. She felt an urgent need to ease the pain from all those years and begin to erase it away. Hermione rigidly held her tears in check for as long as she could. They inevitably, slowly, found their way down her cheeks.

"I'm not quite sure I follow your thinking," Hermione said after a few moments of silence during which she reigned in her tears. "I mean, I'm very glad that you shared this part of your life with me, but what in the world does it have to do with us as a couple and us as possibly parents someday? Unless…"

His curt nod confirmed that her thought was correct.

"Oh Severus _no_! You know that isn't true for a second!" she exclaimed hotly.

"Do I?" Severus asked quietly. His expressions was one of pained tolerance and quiet acceptance of what he felt was the truth, even if he didn't want it to be. "I haven't been a father before. I don't know what I could do and neither do you."

"Oh yes I do know," Hermione said sternly, her eyes narrowing. "You've been teaching for many years Severus, you've been Head of Slytherin that entire time. Not to mention you are an uncle to three nieces and one nephew, all of who love you!

"As mean as you can be to students at times, it's all talk. You've never hurt anyone! And if you were going to, it would most certainly have been Fred and George Weasley for goodness sake! But you didn't hurt anyone, ever, even them."

Severus rubbed his forehead. "What if that changes? What if I do hurt one of our children? Or hurt you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "Severus Snape, you are not going to hurt me or anyone else. I have absolute faith in you. Do you honestly think I'd be sitting here on your lap right this second if I truly believed that you might harm our children or even me someday? Of course not!"

"But Hermione…"

"But nothing," she cut him off, speaking very sternly again. "It will not happen. However, I am willing to promise you that if for any reason ever at all in the future that I feel myself or our children are in danger that I will leave and you'll never find us again, providing I don't just kill you to begin with."

Severus looked into her eyes. "Are you serious? You'll take them and leave, you promise?"

Grief for him and how much he was hurting tore at her heart. "Yes, Severus, I promise you that. I have no doubts that it will never come to such a drastic thing, but if it makes you feel better to have that promise, then I do promise it."

Relief flooded his body at her promise. Severus hoped that it would never, ever come to something like that, but had no doubt that Hermione would keep her promise if she had too. Knowing that, it wasn't as frightening to think about being with her forever and having children with her.

Her vow was sealed with a kiss. She pressed her open lips to his, lingering and savoring every moment of that kiss. When they finally had to pull away from each other, just a few inches, to catch their breath.

Hermione gave him a thoughtful look. "Now, back to the original question that started this whole thing. Do you have an answer for me? Now that you've told me what you needed to and you have my promise?"

"Yes," Severus said, nodding. "I can't say I'll never be anxious, about what I told you or about fatherhood in general, but… I very much look forward to having children with you someday Hermione. Whenever we get to that stage

"I love you very much," he assured her in quiet, gentle tones. "I can't imagine my life anymore without you in it. I hope you know that."

Hermione giggled and put her arms around his neck. She brushed her lips against his before kissing him earnestly, a kiss full of desire and happiness. Severus responded with a serious of slow kisses that made her shiver.

"Well, I don't suppose there's any doubt left that I don't know how much you love me, is there?" she asked after several moments. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and mischief.

"No, none at all," he whispered into her hair. He held her close. So close that it seemed her soft contours were molding to the contours of his body.

"You know, you'll have to marry me first," she commented, kissing his chin.

Severus jerked and looked at her, appearing truly astonished and surprised at her words. "Did I miss something?" he asked, finding his voice irritatingly uneven.

She laughed and smiled, her whole face lighting up. "No, you didn't miss anything. I just mean that if we're going to have children, you're going to have to marry me first. That's how it works, at least with me anyway."

He relaxed, and drew her closer to him. "Ah, I see. I suppose I'll have to do that then, when we're ready." Severus let her settle against him, her head resting on his shoulder, and looked at her adoringly. He had never imagined he could love someone, let alone have such an amazing amount of love inside him as he did for Hermione.

* * *

Much to Aralyn's delight, the couple seemed as happy as they had been before their fight, come the day of Hailey's birthday party. Her brother arrived early to help, which was really an excuse to try and steal some of Hermione's time before the other parents and children came over.

"It's my birthday, it's my birthday, it's my birthday!" Hailey announced, jumping and bouncing all over the room. She bounded over to Severus and tugged on the sleeve of his robes.

"Uncle it's my birthday!" she shrieked.

Severus cringed. "Shh, I know Hailey. There's no need to shout. You'll give uncle a headache. Happy, happy birthday, sweet girl." He let go of Hermione, for a moment, to scoop his niece up on his arms.

"Are you gonna give me a birthday spanking, like you gave Hermy?" Hailey asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Severus coughed, loudly. "Excuse me?"

"That's what you were doing on the porch on Hermy's birthday. Nessa saw you, and we asked Hermy what you were doing, and that's what she told us."

Severus shot Hermione a glare, to which the woman shrugged her shoulders. "What else did you want me to tell them, Severus?" she asked, an eyebrow quirked. "I wasn't going to lie, particularly when it was innocent… or relatively so." Hermione smirked and winked.

"And you couldn't tell her you tripped?" he asked incredulously.

"What would I have told her if she'd asked why I didn't get up, and why your hand was on my bum?" Hermione hissed.

_Damn,_ Severus thought to himself. _She's got me there. _

"No Hailey, I won't be doing that," Severus told her. The little girl looked disappointed and he sighed. "Trust me, you will be having so much fun you won't even think about something as silly as that. And if you really want one, ask your mum, that's part of her job anyway!"

Thankfully the doorbell rang before Hailey had time to do anymore pouting. "PARTY TIME!" She scrambled out of Severus' hold and raced for the door with her governess hot on her heels.

"I hadn't thought they could see us that day," Severus said quietly, shaking his head.

Hermione smiled, her eyes twinkling. "One thing I've learned a thousand times over from this job is that kids see and hear everything!"

* * *

The party had been in full swing for an hour, and Hermione was already exhausted. So many little ones running around and shrieking and getting into mischief! And there was another two hours of the party left!

She took a quick break over at the refreshment table, getting herself some punch and taking a long drink of the cool, yummy liquid. She watched Severus, imaging that he was quite terrified of all these little kids running around him. She'd already counted eight times that she'd heard him be asked if he was a vampire or bat, and had giggled loudly every time, despite the looks he was giving her.

Meanwhile, Severus had been roped into instructing the group of youngsters on the "pin the tail on the donkey" was played. He really hadn't wanted too, but his sister had sent all of them running towards him, so he didn't exactly have a choice.

"No, no, no, Teddy," Severus said to Remus & Tonks Lupin's little boy. "You pin it _on _the picture of the _donkey_. Not on another child. Do you remember how I should you?" He was struggling to remain patient. These children had an attention span of about ten seconds!

Teddy flashed Severus a cheeky grin. "It's more fun to chase her around," he stated, pointing at Melody Wood.

"Well that is not the point of the game, and Miss Wood doesn't look like she cares overly much for your attentions," Severus told him.

The little boy blinked and looked at Severus closely. "Huh?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Never mind, just put the tail on the donkey like you're supposed to and let someone else have a turn. Oh wait! I'm supposed to blindfold you. I was wondering why this game was so unchallenging."

The boy stayed still while Severus loosely tied a blindfold around his eyes. "There. Now put it on!" As Teddy tried his hand at finding the spot to put the donkey tail, Severus looked at the other kids.

"No, Cassie, you do not eat the donkey tail," he said, his eyes wide. "Sweet merlin, why would you want to do that?" He took the tail from the little girl, which made her start to cry, a very shrill and loud cry.

"Your child is trying to eat the tail," Severus explained when Luna wandered over.

"Oh, she's very exploratory," Luna said simply. "She likes to see if it's something to eat or not, even if we tell her its not. She's very bright." Cassie giggled and took the tail out of her mouth, holding it out towards Severus.

Severus had difficulty thinking that a child who was willingly chomping on a felt donkey tail was doing something bright, but managed to restrain himself from saying so. With a sigh, he took the drool soaked tail and used his wand to clean it.

It was quite a frightening thought, but he was actually thinking he appreciated his Hogwarts students. At least they didn't drool on things and hand them to you, or try to eat things that were obviously not meant to be eaten! And at this rate, the game was never going to be finished!

Hermione watched him struggling, smiling and giggling, thinking it was quite good practice for him. Not that she planned to present him with five or six children at one time by any means! It was still good practice.

She became so immersed in watching that she didn't notice Remus Lupin approach her, and jumped when he said her name, nearly spilling her punch.

"Oh," she said, turning to look at Lupin. "Hello Mr. Lupin."

Remus shook his head. "You're a grown up now Hermione, it's really alright to call me Remus," he told her kindly.

She nodded. "Alright, Remus." Hermione searched his face for traces of disappointment or anger, and was pleasantly surprised to see neither.

"You are looking incredibly nervous, like I've caught you doing something you shouldn't be doing," the man said with a chuckle. "Relax Hermione. I thought we could talk a bit."

"Now is not a good time," she replied very quickly. "I'm only taking a short break, my help is needed for the party."

"Afterwards, then," Remus said. "Would that be better?"

Feeling very shy and awkward, Hermione blushed a bit and shook her head no. Remus wondered what was the matter with her, as she'd never been unfriendly or shy with him before, and they'd known one another since her third year at Hogwarts.

"Monday night then, and I won't take no for an answer," Remus told her firmly. "Come have dinner with Tonks, Teddy and I. 6 o'clock sharp."

"Alright," she agreed, softly. "I'm sorry, I really should get back. I think the kids are going to drive Severus insane if he doesn't get a little help." Hermione gave the man a smile and headed towards the game that Severus was attempting to supervise.

* * *

"Uncle, how come I didn't get a present from you?" Hailey asked with a pout after her little friends left.

Severus had decided the party was just too loud and chaotic for the kitten to take and had put her in Aralyn's room until the festivities were over. "I wanted you to be able to give your present your full attention. I have one for you and I'll go get it from your mum's room. Don't worry, I wouldn't forget to give you a present on your birthday."

The little girl immediately perked up, grinning widely. "Ok! I'll wait right here!"

Envisioning the screech that would come from Hailey at the revealing of her gift, Hermione decided to warn the girl ahead of time. "Now, when uncle show you your present, it's very important that you not scream, alright? Can you do that for me?"

Hailey looked a bit confused, but nodded her blonde head up and down all the same. She then gasped as she saw Severus come back into the room. The dark haired man was holding a tiny kitten, gray with black stripes on its back and a pink ribbon around its neck and he carried the kitten over to her.

"Happy birthday, Hailey," Severus said with a smile.

"For me? Really? What's its name?" she asked, tentatively picking up the kitten.

"Yes, it is really for you. And you can name her whatever you'd like," he responded.

"Hmmm," Hailey mused as she began to pet the kitten. "I will name you Muffin!"

Severus chuckled. "Why do you want to name her Muffin?"

Hailey giggled. "Silly! Because muffins are yummy and I love them!"

A/N: Thank you to everyone for bearing with my long gaps between updates. It's never intentional; it just always seems to happen that I can't get things going. And then finals come and I want to write so bad I can hardly stand it, LOL! I love all of you, thank you so much for your faithfulness! The story isn't over, just bear with me as I continue to write!


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